The Truth Underneath
by Loki's Li'l Sis
Summary: After the events of Thor the Dark World, the Avengers return to New York to try and combat an organization trying to develop Chitauri Technology. But while the Avengers are busy trying to find this organization, they entrust their research to a very bright Scientist, who unfortunately has to be left with Loki. But what secrets will this unlikely team uncover in their fight?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The familiar chiming of my infuriating alarm clock startled me out of bed at 7:00. I was a generally lazy person so any time before 8:00am was considered WAY too early for my liking. My body collided with the hard, wooden floor with a thud as I realised that I was due in work that morning. I groaned and heaved myself up to then blindly whack around the area where my clock was situated until it turned off. Successful, I dragged my sheets up back onto my bed and left them there. Stumbling over to my wardrobe, I found a handwritten note. It read:

Dear Sophie,  
You promised me you'd wear the outfit I bought you for  
your birthday to work one day, so I've helped you keep  
your promise! I've taken all your clothes apart from the outfit  
and you won't get them back until I see proof you wore that  
outfit to work.  
Love,  
Ella - Best Friend Forever xx

P.S. Thanks for letting me sleep over last night, really appreciate  
it! Xxxx xoxo

"Oh no!" Frantic, I yanked open the old doors to reveal, like the note said, nothing but the outfit I had jokingly promised to wear. "I hate you so much Ella Daines."

After much swearing and complaint, I trudged out of my bedroom in skinny jeans, galaxy converse sneakers and Stark Industries, bright pink jumper. The jumper read, "stark industries, chief weapons tech advisor" which Ella had bought me from the fan store round the corner for my birthday. I had said to her "oh yeah, stark will totally love this!" In a very sarcastic manner, and she took that to mean "yes Ella, I promise to wear this to work!" Well...that's not exactly what happened, but that's the only version of the story I will accept. The ancient wooden stools creaked as I sat down to eat my bowl of cereal, blissfully unaware my phone was buzzing like crazy because of the furious income of messages. Eventually however, I noticed and cautiously lifted my phone. A series of messages from my boss, in capitals, which meant he was peeved, said more or less, 'get your ass down here or else!' Panicked, I glanced at the clock and abandoned my breakfast on the table, just managing to grab my jacket as I sprinted out of the door. It was 8:15am. I was late, again.

Pepper Potts was waiting by the door with a concerned look on her face as I rushed through the door of Stark Tower. "Sophie. The one day you definitely didn't want to be late." I bit my lip and walked towards her. She handed me a file marked 'Top Secret' and gave me a sorrowful look. I daren't open it. "I'm not going to like this am I?" She shook her head slowly. Then, she lead me towards the lift where a man took my jacket with a smile. Pepper raised her eyebrow at my attire and just smirked. "Hey! This is vintage!" I defended, trying not to laugh. The lady sighed as the number indicating which floor we were on rapidly increased. "Sophie, this assignment may be rather delicate by your standards, and will demand your upmost loyalty and secrecy...and patience, probably. Do you get my gist?" I gulped.  
"Wow. I'm really not going to like this. At all."  
A bell sounded signifying we had arrived at the top floor, and the doors slid open. On the other side of them was a stunning view of the city and the familiar layout of Stark's suite, as (stupidly, in my opinion) advertised on TV. Why, I know not. Around a table, sat the heroes of New York. 'Whoa!' I thought, 'this is so cool!' The entire team of Avengers, Nick Fury and...Loki. A rage boiled up in the pit of my stomach, as I had to painfully gnaw on my lip to attempt calm. "Sophie..." Pepper warned. At seeing my distress, Loki grinned and turned his attention to the windows. 'Or not...' Angered, I hastily twisted my gaze to stark. "Sir."  
"You're late."  
"I know. Sorry." Silence. The question was hanging off the tip of my tongue, and nobody said anything so I just launched in. "Sir, what the hell is it you want me to do which meant I had to get here so urgently?" Tony smiled, all annoyance about my lateness gone.  
"We need you to study this." He said picking up the sceptre laying in the middle of the table. "To see if there's anyway we can stop- hang on . You have opened the file right?" I shook my head.  
"Not yet...I'm guessing I take this, read the file and get started on...whatever this is?" A sharp voice cut through our conversation.  
"You're handing MY sceptre to a mere human for the purpose of what? Science? Really?" Thor was at a struggle at what to say to his brothers clear irritation. Naturally, as per usual, I lashed out a response. "Well, you are on earth, mate, so what do you think your 'sceptre' is gonna be given to? A dog?" That received a chuckled from more or less everyone, bar Loki, who just gave me the most terrifying glare which chilled me to the bone. Unnerved, I returned my attention to my boss. "When do I start?" I asked excitedly! I had wanted to study this since the battle of New York! There was so much potential for scientific discovery in that sceptre, and now it was in my hand! He patted me on the back and went to take his seat at the table. I was about to leave when he called over his shoulder. "Oh, and Loki's going to be in there with you since he can't be trusted anywhere else."  
"What." Loki and I snapped sternly. "Since when?" Loki took the words right out of my mouth.  
"Since whenever it was this was decided. Now brother, just go stay with the human out of the way for Odin's sake." Thor reprimanded.  
"Sir, objection. He is NOT staying in my lab."  
"Objection overruled, and technically it's er, MY lab?! So move." Defeated, I took one glance at Loki, turned on my heel and headed for the stairs. "Aren't you going to wait for your...accomplice?" Loki's ice cold voice barked. Undeterred, I called back. "Nope. Move your ass and hurry up." High pitched whistles and murmurs of amusement could be heard as Loki stalked over to the lift. Luckily, the doors opened just before he got to me and I slipped in and closed them again. The tiny box started to descend and I slumped against the wall, sceptre in hand. "Such fun."

"Stark, was it really wise giving her the sceptre, AND having Loki in there?" Coulson observed after Loki left. After New York, Coulson had deliberately being avoiding Loki ever since he arrived, so only entered Stark's suite once was sure Loki had gone.  
"She'll handle it. To be honest, I rather think she'll give Loki a run for his money."  
"We'll see." Thor grunted.  
"Why do you say that, Tony?" Captain America continued.  
"She's a bit of a handful..." Stark sighed. "And given her background she should be right at home whilst dealing with Loki's...attitude."

I pushed open the clear glass door to my laboratory with a sigh. It was impeccably clean, with all beakers and chemicals in perfect order. A Stark Industries ear piece and mic was lying on the a stainless steel table in the centre of the room. I smiled and went over, gently placing the sceptre on the stand which was also situated on the table. Once the ear piece was attached to my head, I spoke into it. "Morning JARVIS!"  
"Good morning, Sophie. How can I help you today?"  
"Could you run a full scan of the sceptre whilst I read the file please?"  
"Of course, ma'am." A holographic screen appeared in front of my eyes, projected by the headpiece, displaying a diagram of the sceptre with various radiation levels and whatnot.  
"Perfect. How long will it take?"  
"Around an hour." My head fell back as I groaned.  
"Ugh. Fine." I sat on the table and picked up the file, I was about to open it, when I finally realised how tidy the area was. I clicked the ear piece and connected to Stark's piece instantly. "Sir, did you tidy in here?" Frowning I inspected cupboards and tables around. "Ugh! It's too organised!"  
"Don't mess it up again." He responded disdainfully. I pulled a face as he clicked off, the equivalent of hanging up on a phone. A mischievous smile played on my lips as I connected back to JARVIS. "Does it matter if the sceptre gets used during the scan?"  
"I wouldn't recommend it, but theoretically it doesn't matter. Please don't do anything stupid."  
"Do I ever!" Laughing I picked up the sceptre and clambered on top of the table. Surprisingly, the instrument was quite light for its' size. I hopped on each of the work surfaces and tables until I managed to get to the one right in the corner. Closing my left eye and biting my lip, I tried to shoot at the glass beakers. Nothing happened. "Oh." I kept trying, and probably looked like a total idiot thrusting the sceptre back and forth, but still nothing happened.  
"Well that sucks." I swung the sceptre aimlessly, hoping it would do something, and it didn't disappoint. A blue flash of light shot from the sceptre and smashed one of the steel cabinet doors, shooting sparks everywhere! "Whoa!"  
"What do you think you're doing?" A sinister, cold voice, sliced through my little happy moment. Loki's towering figure shadowed the doorway, glaring. "Heh...um...I'm er...doing scientific research?!"  
"By acting like a child? Pathetic."  
"Have you ever genuinely had fun? Do you even know what that word means?" He said nothing. "Clearly not. Because otherwise you might not be so arrogant and so completely ignorant. I mean seriously." My gut was telling me that this was so not going to end well. Bored, and a little depressed due to Loki's interruption, I jumped off the table and returned the sceptre to the stand. "Just stay out of my way." I mumbled. He grunted and took a seat by the door, watching my every move. The hologram that was originally in front of my face, appeared above the sceptre with a detailed diagram of it, courtesy of JARVIS. I exploded the image and took a look inside, quickly forgetting about the file I was meant to read. Suddenly appearing interested, Loki came beside me to study the image also. "What, you don't know anything about this either apart from how to use it?" I asked, genuinely curious. "No. I didn't really care, but now..." He responded, seeming almost human, natural. It was strange. "Well that makes two of us then." I'd never really realized how tall Loki was before, but standing next to him made me feel exceptionally short, even with my 5'8" height. I tucked my short hair behind my ear, it was a nervous tick. Unfortunately, I don't think that went unnoticed by Loki. It used to be longer, but I accidentally set it on fire in an experiment a few weeks ago. It wasn't my fault! The chemical reaction just kind of…exploded. My hair looked a bit silly with half of it incinerated, so I had it cut. I risked another glance at my 'associate', who was staring intently at the diagram. Regrettably, he caught my gaze again so I hurriedly turned my attention away from him and carried on what I was supposed to be doing.

The morning dragged by, what with Loki hovering around. It made me feel…not scared as such, more...absolutely terrified that he could snap me like a twig at any given moment. I was out of my depth on this assignment for sure. The last task I was set, was to investigate the remnants of the Extremus project, which was pretty basic in my opinion. Others would strongly disagree, but there you go. It was around mid-day when Stark came down to 'evaluate' my progress…in reality he was just checking everything was alright with Loki. Stark was proudly displaying the Mark 42 Suit as he sauntered down the stairs and into the lab. "Sir." I politely nodded.  
"How's it coming along?" He responded curtly, eyeing the God of Mischief.  
"I can't really find anything new about it. All the 'skills' we saw in New York are the only real facts I can determine, apart from that, I have no idea. I need more time to study it. It's alien Tech, sir, what do you expect? I haven't the faintest idea of what I'm dealing with."  
"No you really don't, petty mortal." Loki jeered.  
"Oh! So if you'd kindly like to display what you know about the sceptre besides how to use it, A.K.A nothing, we'd be much obliged." At my harsh words, Loki looked for the first time, truly taken back. Stark, trying and failing to suppress a laugh, held up his hand for a hi-five. "That was priceless." Finally feeling proud of myself, I happily handed Stark the file on everything I (well technically didn't) discover, and sighed as he turned his back and headed through the door.  
"Oh and sir, where are you off to exactly? You never said."  
"Er…Brooklyn." In that instant, my blood turned to ice in panic. "Rogers Avenue, I believe." Relieved, I hastily nodded. Slightly wary, but hesitant to pry, Stark left. Completely forgetting Loki was in the room, I reached for my phone which I'd left on the table. A firm, strong hand clamped around my wrist and twisted my arm backwards. Cringing, I let out a tiny squeak, barely noticeable. "How dare you challenge and insult me openly. Do you not respect your superiors? Your elders? Really, you have no sense of decency." Angered, but still in agony, I choked out a comeback.  
"I respect all those who respect me, regardless of age or status. Right now, I respect you as much as a common thug. You are nothing. You crave to be followed, and honestly that's just low." I could almost see the rage burning in his eyes as he twisted my arm back further with a sickening crack. His boot collided with my stomach as I was sent flying backwards smashing the glass doors, stark had recently exited. Helpless, covered in blood and lying shrivelled against the wall, I managed a weak smile. "Dude, you should take anger management." Loki stalked over to where I lay and crouched down, forcefully cupping my cheeks in his hand. "The only thing stopping me from killing you right now, is the fact that the foolish mortals actually think they need you." With a sharp shove, he stood up and walked out of the lab like nothing ever happened.

"I hate him. So much." My anger had been taken out on the poor pillow left on my bed inside the Medical Bay. "Please stop moving. I know you're peeved, but honestly Sophie, beating up a pillow is not going to help. Besides, once I've finished this we can try and get you back to work." The doctor remarked. She was a nice lady, but strict. Nobody messed with Doctor Harris. You just didn't. She lead the team of doctors in charge of running the utter chaos known as the Medical Bay. The area was brimming with people scurrying back and forth between beds containing injured or sick patients, monitors, machines and various cabinets chock full of medicines and drugs. It always reminded me from a scene in a movie where patients would wake up in an impeccably clean white room, with no memory of how they got there or why... It also stank of disinfectant, another reason for my dislike of this place which I had had the misfortune of visiting so often.  
"I was genuinely surprised when I heard you were in the Med Bay for a reason other than for testing unsafe liquids and experiments on yourself." She eyed me and flicked my ear strongly as a way of saying she wasn't impressed with the reasons I was usually here. It wasn't my fault I wasn't patient enough to wait for all the safety regulations and stuff! I just thought it would be much quicker to test on myself and save all the hassle! "I need to ring Ella. The avengers are heading to Brooklyn." Biting my lip, I ferociously thought of all the ways I could sneak up to the lab, grab my phone ring Ella and get to safety, without being noticed by Loki...  
"SOPHIE!" Suddenly, I realised Doctor Harris had been calling my name for quite some time. "For heaven's sake girl! Right, now that I have your attention, why exactly are you here?"  
"I insulted Loki." I stated bluntly. By the look she was giving me I assumed she wanted greater detail so I continued, with the same amount of bluntness. "So he broke my arm. Then shoved me into a wall. Then basically told me I was useless."  
"Oh Sophie. When are you going to learn that there are some things that are better to be left alone?"  
"When the things that are 'better left alone' learn to stay away from my planet." We didn't speak again until she'd more or less cleaned up all the cuts from the glass and put my arm in a cast. "It should stay in place, but if it doesn't just give us a shout." Thanking the doctor, I made my way back to the lift to see if this plan I'd somehow managed to come up with would actually work. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

What my plan didn't take into account was the fact that I was unable to enter my own lab. Dodging shards of glass that were scattered on the ground, I stood at the entrance to the room. The floor was covered in a layer of red lasers, which practically disintegrated anything that touched them. I observed the effects myself when a shard of glass I chucked in exploded in front of me. "Well there goes my plan." I'd managed to pick up a replacement headset on my way down, after my original was smashed when Loki kicked me into a wall. I clicked on and connected to JARVIS. "JARVIS, would you care to explain why the floor of my lab is covered in lethal lasers?"  
"It appears Loki managed to activate them whilst you were recovering."  
"WHAT! WHY JARVIS? WHY DID YOU LET THIS HAPPEN?"  
"My systems seemed to have been…infiltrated. Is there anything else I can help you with, ma'am?"  
"Ugh. Where is Loki now?" Infuriated, I struggled to stop myself from yelling into the microphone.  
"He is currently on the top floor, observing surveillance footage."  
"JARVIS, why on earth did you give him access to the surveillance system?"  
"I… er…I don't know…I—"  
"Look, don't worry. Just don't give him access to anything else." I removed the headset and almost threw it inside in frustration, almost. I noticed that the Sceptre was still on the centre table, exactly where I left it. My lips curved up in a smile. "Two can play this game." All I needed was some string, a remote control helicopter and a serious attitude.

The lift bell sounded as I reached the top floor of Stark Tower. The doors slid open immediately revealing an intimidating looking Loki facing me. Unaffected, I entered and strolled over to where Loki was. He grinned and spoke. "Have you come to apologise?"  
"Don't think so Loki. I want my lab back." He just smirked and chuckled, but then suddenly became serious. "Kneel…and I'll consider it." I sighed and slowly began to bend down. He looked satisfied and slightly relieved at my response, and held his head up higher in pride. It looked as if I was about to kneel, but then I groaned, stretched my legs and arms and stood up again. "Not today." His expression once again turned into a menacing glare. "Disable the lasers, Loki."  
"I don't think so. Surely you would be able to do this yourself. You already managed to disable the surveillance from where you were. You should be proud that I had no idea what you were doing." He mocked. I flashed him a fake smile. "Very funny." I then took a step back and shrugged. "Ok. I can't make you do anything…"  
"No." He interrupted.  
"…but you made a BIG mistake in your little 'plan for revenge'. You left the Sceptre in the lab, where you and I both were unable to reach it." At this realisation, his face turned into one of worry.  
"What."  
"So, I took the liberty of linking said Sceptre to a piece of string which was attached to a remote helicopter." Holding up a tiny remote, I smirked. "Which is connected to this!" Beaming, I waved it in his face. He swiped for it but I swiftly dodged and laughed. "GIVE ME THAT REMOTE!" Loki yelled.  
"TURN OFF THE LASERS!" I countered with the same amount of ferocity.  
"I AM NOT, AND WILL NOT TAKE ORDERS FROM YOU!" Mildly frightened at his rage, I took a small step back. "Fine. Then watch as your precious little Sceptre gets smashed into pieces. It matters little to me. I need to break into it to see how it works anyway." I pushed the button, the helicopter was activated and the Sceptre started to move off the table.

The Avengers Team arrived at Brooklyn, ready for action. They were looking for an underground base concealed within one of the houses. "I don't know about you, but this doesn't seem right." Captain America observed. "Surely if there was something going on, neighbours would enquire…or someone would at least notice."  
"The idea is to not let anyone find wherever 'it' is, so of course no one would notice." Barton commented. "It's here." Stark cut them off. He rapped on the door of number 32 Rogers Avenue.  
"How do you know?" Romanoff asked, surveying the area, gun in-hand.  
"I know because this address doesn't exist. Anywhere." He looked them all in the eye before forcefully opening the door after knocking clearly didn't cause any response. They rushed in, checking every room, every cabinet. The words 'clear' rang out from each of them. Disappointed, they conversed by the front door. "It's a decoy." Stark announced. Thor roared and smashed his hammer into the wall. "Thor smashing things won't help." The God of Thunder was about to retaliate to the Captain's remark, when Stark cut them off. JARVIS spoke out through the earpiece in Stark's suit. "Sir, we have an issue."  
"What is it JARVIS? I'm in the middle of something right now." They were all silent as they listened intently to what JARVIS had to say. "Loki is attacking Sophie on the top floor of Stark Tower, sir. I thought you'd want to know."  
"You have GOT to be kidding me."

Loki began to lunge for me as soon as I hit the button. Luckily, I had calculated it would take precisely 7 seconds before the Sceptre would hit the ground. I ducked under his arm as he reached out and slapped my hand down on the button which controlled the lasers, disabling them instantly. My relief was short lived as Loki continued to come for me. I ducked another lunge and rolled under the desk, leaving me opposite the God with only a steel desk in between us. "Whoa! Stop! Stop! Look! I disabled the lasers! The sceptre's fine! Just calm down!" My threatening demeanour had completely vanished, replaced by utter terror. Concluding that there would be no way to stop him, I tried a different approach. The desk tipped towards him as I shoved my whole weight against it, buying me a few crucial seconds. I sprinted towards the stair well, jumping down small flights at a time. Thankfully, I had reached the same floor as my lab by the time Loki had burst through the door at the top. I rushed through the door leading to the labs without hesitation. Clicking my headpiece in place, I darted for my lab at the end of the corridor. Reaching the door, I risked a glance back and rapidly regretted it. He was gaining on me. Fast. Swearing, I entered the lab and scrambled on top of the centre table, just grabbing the sceptre as I did so. "JARVIS ACTIVATE THE LASERS!" I screamed as Loki reached the door. The floor was illuminated in red, preventing him from entering. The only sound that could be heard was my panting as we stood there in a standoff. The avengers, conveniently chose that moment to arrive. Fantastic. "Sir I can explain everything."  
"I sure hope so! Do you have ANY idea what you're dealing with?"  
"Oh I'm sorry! Who was it who asked me to do this in the first place?" I retaliated.  
"Sophie! We asked you to complete this task, in trust you wouldn't do something utterly stupid!" Stark's voice was getting louder and louder with each word.  
"I wasn't being stupid! I was stopping myself from being fried!" Unintentionally, my voice was gaining in volume also.  
"By provoking him?" Stark indicated Loki. "Oh yes! Brilliant idea!"  
"You think asking nicely would've accomplished anything? I'd like to see you try!"  
"Sophie..." Dr. Banner tried to interrupt, but in my anger I foolishly ignored him.  
"Funnily enough, I didn't expect when I was given this assignment to be FEARING FOR MY LIFE!"  
"Sophie!" Dr. Banner tried again, but still he was ignored.  
"First day and I've been impaled with glass, had my head nearly smashed and I broke my collar bone! I thought you told me this would be safe! Even though-"  
"SOPHIE!" Dr. Banner finally yelled, stopping me in my tracks.  
"WHAT?" I screamed.  
"Put down...the sceptre." He responded quietly, as if instructing someone to cool it. Ironic, considering he is the Hulk. I looked down, surprised at what I was holding. Instinctively I released it, but instantaneously realised my huge mistake. The sceptre clattered as it hit the table and then began to drop to the floor. The events that followed seemed to be in slow motion. Thor bellowed for everyone to get back as Stark yelled to JARVIS to deactivate the lasers, but they were both too slow. The point of the sceptre connected with the red floor, but instead of breaking, the connection of the Tesseract energy and the energy from the lasers caused a huge explosion, knocking everyone off their feet. The impact was worse for me as I was hovering right above it at the time. For the second time that day I was violently flung back against a solid wall. Someone screamed my name but I couldn't decipher who it was at the time as I was too busy trying not to die. I just managed to bury my head in my chest before I struck the side of the lab. Fortunately, Stark's orders to JARVIS didn't go unnoticed and I was not disintegrated as I fell to the floor. My memory of what followed was hazy. All I could remember for certain was pain. Excruciating pain, everywhere.

Stressed voices woke me up from a surprisingly comfortable sleep. Locating where the voices were coming from, I forced my head up to look around, but suddenly became terribly dizzy. Unintentionally I cried out, grabbing the attention of the voices. The familiar face of doctor Harris rushed over, blocking my view of the room. She gently supported my head as I lowered it back down again. "Ugh..." My voice was husky and sore as I struggled to find words that wouldn't hurt to say. "What...how...did I...get here?" Blinking, my eyes adjusted to the white room in the medical bay. "The avengers carried you down. You were in pretty bad shape, but you recovered nicely as always." Doctor Harris replied with a smile. "I would tell you to rest for a bit longer, but you never listen so I won't." I attempted getting up again, this time taking it slow and using the bed to support me. The door was closed and the curtains drawn, preventing anyone from seeing in. That usually meant I'd either had a lot of treatment, or I'd been in here for a while...or both. "How..." Cough. "Long was I out?" Using my voice was growing easier but it was still painful.  
"2 days." Came the short response.  
"Oh hell." I noticed a glass of water with a couple of chalk-white tablets next to it. Cautiously, I reached my arm out to take them. Again, excruciating pain radiated through my arm. Eventually, I managed to knock back the pills and drink the water. "What happened? Did I break all my limbs or something?"  
"Yeah, about that. You smashed your right arm on impact, your left wrist was fractured in 2 places. One of the ligaments in your right leg was moved completely out of position, your left knee cap was more or less crushed and your left able was broken out of position."  
"Yay." I retorted sarcastically. "Well it couldn't be any worse."  
"You could be dead." The doctor snapped with a glare. "With the circumstances of your injuries you could well have been." I didn't want to think about that right now, so I ignored her remark.  
"Who else was in here just now? I heard more than one voice." I asked , double checking to see if we were alone in the tiny room. "Stark and Director Fury were just here seeing if you were alright. You were stirring, so I notified them and they came to check up on you." I frowned.  
"That never happens. Ever..." I looked the doctor straight in the eye. She looked nice today. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a neat pony and her uniform was unusually tidy on her small frame. "What's going on doc?" She fidgeted and looked away as if the answer would magically appear on the wall behind me. "Doc, why were they here? Look, I'm fine aren't I? What's all the stress for? A few broken bones is hardly life threatening, I mean come on." Recognising her clear discomfort, I dropped the subject. I was too tired to press right now. "Was anyone else hurt?" I enquired quietly. "Thankfully, they were at a safe enough distance away so they didn't get badly hurt. A few cuts and bruises as expected, but that's not really what you were asking is it?" Satisfied, I stopped talking and let doctor Harris run tests and issue me with medication, which I paid no attention to whatsoever. Finally, she helped me to a now open door and I managed to hobble my way around the corner and back down the corridor. I was surprised to notice the avengers, bar Agent Romanoff and Barton, sitting in what seemed to be a conference room just outside the med bay entrance. Loki was also with them, sulking at the back of the room. Noticing me, they hurriedly got up and just stared in disbelief. I just caught Stark murmuring something along the lines of, 'I told you so', as each and every one of them gawked at me. Confused, I looked down at myself, trying to find what was causing them to stare at me this way, but to no avail. "What?" No response. "What are you staring at?" Even Loki looked utterly dumbfounded. "Seriously guys, what?" It was stark who at last broke the silence. "So you're feeling better then?" I nodded warily, eyeing the rest of them. What on earth were they staring at? Aware of my discomfort, stark lead me down the corridor and back to the lab, lecturing me about how idiotic my actions were.

Director Fury turned to the rest of the avengers after stark had lead Sophie away. "She must never know." Still trying to get over what they had just seen, the avengers were at a loss of what to say.  
"I don't understand! That's not humanly possible to recover like that! I mean, she recovered from smashed bones, 3rd degree burns and severe cuts in a few days! It's biologically impossible!" Dr Banner protested. "That's because she's not entirely human."  
"What?!" It was Loki who spoke up this time. "How can she not be human?" Everyone was now paying full attention to Director Fury. "This organisation we're trying to find, HYDRA, this isn't the first time we've encountered them, as captain America can vouch for."  
"But I thought they were disbanded?" Captain America objected.  
"A lot has happened since then." Fury continued. "Before they were developing Chitauri technology, they were trying to create super soldiers. Sophie was patient zero. The first one to be experimented on. We intercepted the plan early on, luckily, but as a last ditch effort, they erased all memory of what happened to her in the experiments, so we wouldn't find out. We don't know how, we just know that they did." Nobody said a word. It sounded too impossible to be true, but the evidence had been brought right to them. They couldn't argue. "What did they do though? They must've done something to her DNA, her genetics to make her able to heal this fast!" Still struggling to get his head over it all, Dr Banner enquired further. "In all honesty, we have no idea the exact process, just a rough idea. But she hasn't the faintest idea she's different from anyone else. She thinks it's normal to have a recovery rate as fast as hers. Sophie's world would crumble if she ever found out. You will not tell her, not even a slight hint at what has happened, do you understand me?" Fury commanded. He looked each one of them in the eye until they agreed, finishing at Loki. "You especially." Loki nodded as a response, still shocked at how a puny mortal could have abilities such as those he'd just witnessed. "I assume everyone else is aware of the situation with the girl?" Loki prompted.  
"They are." Fury answered. "Don't hurt her any more than you already have Loki, she's been through enough don't you think?" Loki was at a loss for words. Without a response, he just got up and strolled out of the door with no acknowledgement that anything had been said at all.

By the time Stark left, I was exhausted just from listening to him ramble on and on! To make matters worse, Loki sauntered into the lab. With no energy left to deal with him, I chose to completely ignore him and get on with what I was supposed to be doing. I pulled up the diagnostics of the sceptre JARVIS had provided earlier, shaking my head at the lack of new information. Frustrated, I picked up the sceptre to see if that would make any difference. Surprisingly, it did. Energy levels seemed fluctuate and the end of the staff seemed to glow more than usual. "What the...?" Returning the sceptre to the stand caused levels to return to normal and the glow dissipated. "It never did that before..." I mumbled. For the second time that day, unbeknown to me, Loki came and stood by my side. Looking back and forth between me and the sceptre, his face grew to one of utter confusion. All of a sudden, he grabbed my wrist and shoved my sleeve up my arm. "OW!" I protested, but Loki took no notice. Following his gaze to my arm, I finally understood his expression. My arm was glowing. Blue. Just under the skin, a faint, pulsing colour could be seen. Squealing, I jumped out of his reach, rubbing my arm furiously as if to get it off somehow. Of course that didn't work. "What the hell did that thing do to me?" Flustered, I looked frantically between the sceptre and Loki, hoping he might have some answer. The god slowly approached me, taking my arm in his hand. He was exceptionally gentle with his touch considering how he could snap my arm with ease. "I...don't know. Either you must've absorbed some if the radiation in the explosion or..."  
"Or? Or what?" He was hesitant to respond, which just made me panic more.  
"Or...the energy was inside you already... Either way, this energy is what triggered the sceptre to react so...peculiarly. Contact to this..." He indicated the staff. "Must've triggered the energy inside you to come to the surface." In all honesty, I was more overwhelmed by his soft nature than by what he was telling me. "...Since when did you become so caring?" Yet again, he brushed me off as if nothing had been said. I took one last look at the sceptre before reaching for my headset. "Sir, I'm done for the day."  
"...fine. Go home and get some rest." We clicked off as I headed for the door.

Loki watched from the top floor of the tower as Sophie headed for home. Intrigued by his brother's new attitude, Thor joined him. "You care for the girl?"  
"She...interests me. Care? I think not." Loki didn't even blink as he answered back.  
"Then why do you watch over her brother? She is mortal."  
"Why are you constantly bothering me with insolent questions?" This time, Loki did look up into his brother's eyes. Thor shrugged and gazed over the city. "If you truly felt nothing for her, then you wouldn't be so defensive." Loki tensed, and this action did not go unnoticed by his brother.  
"She is stronger than most...but then again you wouldn't really know much about strength would you Thor?" Loki smirked at his brother's distress. "Oh don't get yourself worked up brother. If you're really lucky, when you grow up, you might be big and strong like daddy dearest!" Speaking to Thor as if instructing a child, Loki mockingly patted his brother on the back and walked off, leaving the Thunder God to fume by the window.

It was 4:00 by the time I'd reached my apartment just off Times Square. With a sigh, I pushed open my door and collapsed on the familiar brown leathered sofa in the living room. The place I called home wasn't very big, but then again I didn't need it to be. There was a coffee table and small TV in the lounge, with big open windows providing a nice view of the famous city Square. The kitchen, like the rest of my apartment, was tiny with only the few bare essentials needed for me to have food. The bedroom was just to the right of the lounge, consisting off purple wallpaper, a basic double bed, a bedside table and a wardrobe. The sofa offered comfort for all my aches and pains which I'd only just managed to overlook throughout the day. My brief moment of relief was disturbed when my phone started vibrating in my back pocket. I was happy to see Ella's name appear on the front screen as I impulsively answered the call. "Hello?"  
"OH MY GOD SOPHIE WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?! 2 DAYS! NOT A SINGLE WORD! NOT A TEXT! NOTHING! I WOULDN'T HAVE CARED EVEN IF IT WAS A RANT ABOUT YOUR CLOTHES MISSING, BUT SOMETHING!" She was out of breath by the time she'd finished, and is been helpfully reminded of the situation with my clothes. "I was unconscious in the medical bay."  
"...oh. Sorry. Geez! What did you do this time? 2 whole days you were out? Wow must've been pretty bad!"  
"Yeah...this really isn't a conversation we should be having on the phone. Can you come over?"  
"...holy...this really IS bad. I'll be there in five."  
"Oh, and bring my clothes!" I quickly added. The smile in her voice was obvious as she replied.  
"Not until I have proof you wore them to work!"  
"I've been at work 2 whole days, unconscious and have literally just got back to my apartment. I'm wearing your bloody outfit so bring my bloody clothes."

As promised, Ella arrived at the door 5 minutes after we hung up, carrying shopping bags full of clothes. I allowed her in and we sat down on the couch after greetings had been exchanged. Ella's strawberry blonde hair was wrapped in a neat bun at the rear of her head, and a smart, black suit was hanging loosely off her body. She looked impressive as always. "How was work?" I remarked, admiring her attire. She worked as a solicitor in one of the top law firms in the city, she was incredibly bright and organised. But when we were together, oh the chaos that would stir. "Work was fine, unlike yours, clearly..." Silence descended, letting my best friend ask the question she so blatantly wanted to ask. "What happened?" I proceeded to tell her everything. From the avengers being in stark's suite, to Loki showing me the energy in my arm. "Holy mother of cow! Gimme your arm!" She was studying my arm before I had even a chance to respond. "Well that's just plain weird."  
"I know. Tell me about it. Even worse with Loki in there." Her discomfort was clear when I mentioned him. "Just the thought of him being back in the city...ugh."  
"Ella, calm down. You're kinda...cutting off my circulation!" With a cry she let go of my arm.  
"Sorry."  
"Don't worry. I've had worse." She stayed for around an hour longer before she had to head home, complaining about the amount of work she had to do. Just after she had left I went to bed, dreaming of a life where everything could be normal, for once. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I had been awake for hours before my alarm clock finally sounded. Not bothering to move, I let it ring. The irritating sound gradually brought me out of my dream-state. This was all so weird. The sceptre, the avengers, I was struggling to cope. I tried to pretend none if it was real, that it was all a strange but terrifying dream, but alas, the faint blue glow of my arm brought me back to reality. Fed up of listening to my alarm clock, I slapped my hand down on it, silencing it.

Usually, I wasn't really bothered about my looks, but today I had to admit, I looked particularly horrendous. I first noticed the bruising in the reflection of the Stark Tower door. A mess of purple black and yellow stains covered parts of my face and arms. I silently chastised myself for a wearing a t-shirt today. Rolling my eyes and groaning, I pushed through the revolving door and into the workplace. The stares I received were so obvious despite people's 'best efforts' to conceal them. Thankfully, some of the bruising had hidden the glow in my arm, which I was hugging to my chest so no one could see. It was a relief when I finally got into the lift and out of the spotlight. I rocked back and forth on my heels as I finally got to the floor where the labs were situated. Yet again, stares were directed at me as I headed to my lab. "Come on, come on, nearly there. The door's just there..." I encouraged myself under my breath as I walked, feigning carelessness. The last few steps towards the lab I practically sprinted to get out of sight. Loki's sceptre was still on the table, where I'd left it. Shame, I thought a tragic accident may befall it and it would have been lost forever. ..What started out to be an exciting assignment with a remarkable artefact, had turned into absolute hell for me. "Yay. Just another regular day at the office." I muttered.  
"Stop talking to yourself. It's irritating."  
"So are you." I didn't even have to look up to know who was sitting lazily in the corner. A snort could be heard from Loki's direction. "I see you're in a happy mood this morning."  
"Ecstatic." I shot back sarcastically. Finally looking up at him, I sighed. "Why can't you just go to another room, and annoy somebody else?" I was seriously not in the mood to deal with him today. He chuckled and gracefully rose from his chair, slowly approaching me. "You think I'm annoying?" He pouted like a child and faked innocence. "I'm hurt."  
"Fascinating." I replied bluntly. "You're clearly mixing me up with someone who really cares, Loki."  
"You don't care about me?" He smirked. "Oh I think you do. You care about the fact that if you're not careful I could snap you like a twig..." He took another threatening step with every breath. "You care that one mistake, could end very slowly, and very painfully." I stood my ground even though he was standing inches from me, towering over my small-ish frame. "I think you care very much."  
"Have you quite finished? I have work to do."  
"Well, by all means, don't let me stop you." He took a step back and bowed dramatically. He was enjoying this way too much. "Does it give you satisfaction to see other people hurt, knowing you've caused it? Because if yes, you are seriously sick."  
"I-"  
"I don't wanna hear it! I don't care about your stupid remarks or insults. If you really have that big a problem with me that you have to threaten me when I'm not even bothering you, then just leave. Or at the very least do something useful. Yes, you may be stronger than most of us, good for you, but that doesn't mean you have to get in our way. Just...leave me alone." Without hesitation, I stormed out and headed straight for the lift, grateful for the safety it provided.

I eventually settled on heading to the Stark Suite after inventing an excuse as to why I'm dodging work. I figured 'Loki is scaring the hell out of me', wouldn't be very acceptable so I settled for 'I'm bored'. "Yes, this is totally going to work." The doors slid open with a ping as the suite was revealed. Stark and Doctor Banner were chatting over the bar whilst Thor and Captain America were playing cards on a far table. Once again faking confidence I walked over to Stark and leant on the bar. "Sir, please can I move onto another Assignment? There is nothing more to find and I'm really fed up with this now."  
"No." He immediately returned to his conversation with Doctor Banner as if I wasn't even present. "Sir, please. This is ridiculous. You're leaving me down there with absolutely nothing to do."  
"Don't be ridiculous, there's always more to find. Besides, the more information we scrape to find about that...thing, the better our chances of getting closer to the organisation."  
"Yes! Why don't you let me help with that? I can do a bit of digging, try and find where they'll come up next! Obviously I'd have to run some background and then use the systems but that's no worries, right?" To my confusion, Stark and Dr Banner exchanged nervous looks. Stark gulped before continuing. "Nope. We're good. Just carry on what you're doing and we'll handle the rest."  
"But-"  
"Go. Right now." Frustrated I turned and headed back towards the lift with a new purpose. Do some digging.

I was completely fine and happy with myself, up until the point where I remembered how I'd exited the lab before...and how I'd left Loki. Nervous, but still determined, I creeped up to the lab entrance and peeked my head through the glass door. Loki was standing on the opposite side of the room this time, gazing out of a window overlooking the city. I tiptoed in and delicately placed the headset back on my head. Loki threw a glance over his shoulder and I but my lip expecting him to yell, threaten do something, but he just looked me in the eye before returning to his city watching. I blinked. Did that just happen? Blown away by Loki's newfound...silence, I hastily grabbed an electronic tablet from the corner of the room. I brought it back to the centre table and fired it up. It didn't take long to log in to Stark's systems, but this was where the real challenge began. I had to hack into the main frame, access the protected files interpret them and then get out again without being noticed by the owner and the rest of the building. Yay. I guess Loki got bored of watching the city because I was aware of him taking a seat at a nearby table, but I was too focused to look or care. Accessing the main frame took the longest, but once I was in, it was easy as pie. I was at the stage when I was about to open the protected files when Loki finally decided to speak up. "You're not supposed to be doing that, are you?"  
"Nope." Was my short answer. He came and stood beside me as I worked furiously to try and break the firewalls and pass codes. Loki seemed to be amused by the fact I was going behind my boss' back and doing something I really shouldn't be. But hey, that's what you get when you're left out of the loop. "Why are you finding this funny?"  
"Because you didn't exactly strike me as someone who would break the rules." Stunned, I turned around to face him. "You have absolutely NO idea." He shrugged and sat down beside me, inspecting the tablet with a frown. "How do you know how to hack into all this? It just looks like a load of numbers to me."  
"...I just do. In all honesty, I don't know how I do this, it just happens!" The God of Mischief laughed, and it seemed genuine, happy. "That must be the worst explanation I have ever heard." Understanding why he was laughing and mulling over what I had said, I joined in. We laughed for a moment before a red alert was displayed on the screen, a warning telling me not to access these files. "Screw that." I murmured, dismissing the caution. A folder named HYDRA opened. "What?" I asked no one in particular, confused. The HYDRA file contained many more folders with information concerning weaponry, ideas of strike locations, S.H.I.E.L.D's history and encounters, but last of all there was another, separate, very large folder...with my name on it

A wave of ice-cold dread swept over me. I shivered and my hand shook as I went to open the file. In my moment of shock, I hadn't realised Loki had steadily come to stand next to me, hovering over my shoulder. I reached out to touch the screen, but his icy hand grasped my wrist. "Don't. I have a feeling that's not a good idea."  
"Why? If it's about me I have a right to see it, don't I?"  
"Yes, but there's probably a very good reason they're keeping it from you, don't you think? If they did keep it from you, it was probably because you wouldn't have wanted to know." Came his frustratingly understandable sensible reply.  
"If someone you thought you trusted kept something from you, for probably a long while, you would want to know, wouldn't you? Want to know what it was? Even if you knew it was probably bad...?" I could tell by Loki's reaction that he understood where I was coming from. A look of sheer pain could be seen on his face, as he seemed to be troubled by past memories. Seizing the opportunity while he was distracted, I opened the file...but just like he said, I regretted it almost instantaneously. Files upon files of medical records, from no hospital, or anywhere recognisable for that matter, were displayed. Pictures upon pictures of me lying helpless on a hospital bed/operation table appeared, chilling me to the bone, if I wasn't cold enough. But worst of all, right at the end, was an overall report, signed by Tony Stark and Director Fury. It didn't take long to scan through it, and I got the gist of the document. Biting back the tears that were threatening to spill, I threw the tablet off the table in a fit of fury, letting out a ferocious shriek. I clutched my head in my hands as I leant on the table, trying to calm down. I wasn't even remotely human anymore, the records proved that. I was a HYDRA experiment, patient zero. They were trying to develop super soldiers, which was an un-surprisingly popular thing amongst these sort of organisations at the moment, and they succeeded...with me at least. But they got caught, and were stopped...but as a last ditch effort they wiped all memory of my HYDRA encounters so I couldn't tell S.H.I.E.L.D anything. There was no way to tell what memories were real and what weren't. My whole life could be a lie for all I knew...and they didn't tell me. They lied to me! Stark, Director Fury, probably everyone in this whole building! I felt a reassuring hand on my back, attempting to comfort me, and I was amazed to learn that it was Loki trying to soothe the pains that were so obviously affecting me. "I don't know who I am anymore..." I sobbed, all traces of confidence gone. Loki removed his hand, and began to wrap his strong arms around my waist, tenderly coaxing me to stand. Then, to my utter astonishment, he pulled me towards him in a kind embrace. His attitude frequently stunned me, as more and more he revealed a more tender side to the man I had previously assumed a monster. But no matter how hard I could see he was making an attempt to support me, I was still utterly distraught at this revelation. Finally, I gave up on holding back the tears and cried into Loki's muscular body as he continued to hold me. His head rested on mine as my sobs were muffled by his armour. I felt a hand lay on the back of my head, caressing my hair softly. Tears kept falling down my face despite my efforts to stop them, but Loki showed no signs of discomfort or opposition to the situation we were in. Questions aroused in my mind, to which I had no intention of asking politely for answers. I knew exactly who to ask and there was no way this information was being kept from me any longer.

I don't know exactly how long I stood there in Loki's arms, but it felt like an eternity. When I had finally calmed down, he let me go but we said nothing. I retrieved the many pieces of the tablet that had been smashed in my anger. The pieces were scattered beneath a nearby table in a desolate heap. "Oops." Mumbling to myself I placed the sharp-edged pieces back on a table. Still trying to get over all the information I had taken in, I headed for the lift, ignoring every single person as ambled towards it. Loki snuck in beside me just before the doors snapped shut. "Try not to break anything." He murmured as we ascended. His comment almost made me laugh, almost. My breathing was shaky as I watched the floor numbers gradually increase. "Stop worrying. There's nothing to be scared of."  
"Apart from losing my head as well as my job."  
"Well then don't lose it. It's not hard." He looked down at me with a small, but pleasant, smile.  
"Says you." I finished. This time I couldn't hold back a small giggle before I returned my attention to the lift numbers. I heard a small chuckle from Loki as well, but didn't mention it. I doubt he would want to have his attention brought to the fact that he was laughing alongside a mere mortal. A quiet bell sounded as once again the famous suite was revealed. Stark was standing with his arms crossed by the centre table, shaking his head at a monitor. "Why couldn't you just leave things alone, Sophie?" He remarked, acknowledging me as I walked in. I noticed The Avengers along with Coulson and Director Fury were crowded around a seperate monitor, in a very heated discussion over something. But I was too enraged to care. "Why didn't you tell me?" Loki took a seat by the others and smirked. "What? About HYDRA? Because it wasn't your concern! Thanks to you, I now have to re-establish new fire walls and all sorts!" He thought I was ill-tempered over the fact that the organisation was HYDRA. How naive. "ABOUT THE FACT THAT I'M NOT REALLY HUMAN?! YOU KNOW, THAT MINUTE DETAIL YOU JUST HAPPENED TO OVERLOOK?!" Silence overcame the huge room. It seemed like no one was daring to even breathe. It was Director Fury who finally broke the awkward silence. "We thought it was best that you didn't know."  
"Why? What gave you the right to keep something like that from me?" I was so close to yelling again, so close. "That sort of information could be life destroying. We weren't sure how you'd react." Director Fury was trying his best to keep everyone calm, and I was slightly concerned that his efforts weren't exactly paying off. "YOU THINK?!" I took a deep breath to contain myself before continuing. "I think...I would've preferred to have been told."  
"Well in the situation that we were in, we decided to make a different call. I'm sorry." I frowned, puzzled. "What situation?" He didn't respond. "Sir, what situation?" With a sigh, and a glance at Stark, Fury reluctantly obliged. "At the time, when we found you, it was just after they'd wiped your memory...we decided not to tell you about what they did, how they changed you because..."  
"Because?" I urged. I'd learnt too much already for him to stop now.  
"Because...because HYDRA had found some way to control what you were doing, even after the memory loss you experienced..."  
"AND...?" I prompted.  
"...You murdered 38 people before you were knocked out and had your injuries treated." The air was sucked out of me as I struggled to breathe. My eyes widened as I stumbled back slightly before regaining myself. It felt like I'd been hit in the stomach with a brick. I tried choking out words but all that came out was muffled squeaks. I'd...killed people. Murdered actual people. My eyes seared with the pain of tears that were threatening to spill once again. I stared down at my hands as if they weren't my own. "What...I...I...how..." I was aware of someone beside me, and someone else trying to talk to me but all I could focus on was the fact that there were 38 people lying dead...because of me. I couldn't cope anymore. My hands were clutched to my head as my knees buckled underneath me. Somebody caught me and lowered me down slowly, and once again people tried to speak to me but I just couldn't concentrate properly. I hugged my knees to my chest and screamed into them, rocking back and forth. The tears came forward in a rush whilst others shuffled about me. A pair of arms came round my shoulders, shaking me in an attempt to bring me back to my senses. "Sophie! Sophie! It wasn't your fault! You didn't know what you were doing!"  
"But I still did it! I still killed them!" I screeched.  
"Shhh! It wasn't you, it was this HYDRA, ok? Just, calm down Sophie. It wasn't you." I concluded the voice belonged to Loki, and I assumed it was his arms around me as he was clearly in such a close proximity. Suddenly it was Tony beside me. "Sophie, listen to me. Just calm down ok, we can talk about this explain it to you when you're not in such a state. Loki's right, it wasn't your fault, not at all. Just calm down."

It took quite a while for me to stop crying long enough for Stark and the others to get me out of the state I was in. They sat me down at the table in the suite. Stark gave me a drink, tea I presumed but I didn't really care, and started to explain. Some of the avengers left to give us some privacy, but a few stayed for comfort. Loki, surprisingly, was among the ones who stayed, along with Romanoff and Dr Banner. After Pepper was notified of the situation, she too came and sat with me while Stark tried to break down the story in a way so that I wouldn't get so worked up again. He explained that I was injured in a freak accident, but they weren't certain of the details, and poor before they changed me. That I went to HYDRA as a last ditch effort to get money, and also to try and get full use of my body again. They completely removed the skeleton from my body, and replaced it with some sort of metal one. How they managed to pull of a procedure like that was un-fathomable, but clearly they succeeded. However the metal they used wasn't from earth, which explains the traces of Tesseract energy inside me. They also placed some sort of chip in part of my brain, which allowed them to access and control every movement, so it really wasn't my fault that those people had died...but then again, there was no way I was going to be able to come to terms with that. Nobody knows how HYDRA obtained the technology they did, as it appeared to be of Chitauri origin which was why Stark needed Loki. It became clear to me as Stark told the story, that no-one really knew every detail, and many factors were still unclear. This also explained their sense of urgency when it came to finding HYDRA. Because if the experiment on me was successful, what was to stop them doing it again? "But how come I have a faster metabolism than everyone else? Surely my skeleton wouldn't effect that as well!?" I asked, sniffing.  
"We believe it's because they replaced your blood too, so that your body wouldn't reject the technology. It's also possible that some of your vital organs have been replaced in addition to everything else." He let that sink in as I mulled that over. I managed a small smile and a chuckle. "You should've just let me study all my...changes. I would've had so much fun. Experimenting on myself, potential hazard, loads to find, what more could I want?" Pepper and Stark laughed as well, however the moment of happiness was fleeting. It was a lot to take in, and even more questions arose, but there was no way I was going to ask them now. Too much had happened today for me to enquire further. Loki had sat beside me the whole way through. Unbeknown to the others, he had held my arm under the table as a sign of support, which was greatly appreciated on my part. "Why don't you go home and get some rest? Take the day off tomorrow." Pepper finished with a smile. I always thought she had one of those really understanding smiles which just made everything feel better. "No. I'm not going home. Not after this. Please can I just stay here tonight? In med bay or something? I'll just complain about side effects from previous antibiotics or something and-"  
"You don't have to make excuses to Doctor Harris, Sophie. She knows everything. Who do you think was the one who removed the chip from your brain? Did it not register in your mind that somebody must've removed it to stop you being a thoughtless zombie?" I made an 'o' shape with my mouth. Funnily enough that thought hadn't even crossed my mind! "Who else knows about my...condition?" Pepper cleared her throat. "The doctors in the medical bay, some of the lab workers and the avengers."  
"...what? That's it? I thought everyone would've known!"  
"No no no no no! That would be a serious violation of privacy, and really mean." Pepper joked. I wasn't amused. "Anyway, so can I just stay tonight and then tomorrow please can I stop studying the STUPID sceptre? It's really grotesque and a massive pain in the arse to study because it just doesn't react to anything and with misery guts hanging around all the time it's a wonder I've found anything!" Pepper pursed her lips, struggling to contain a laugh as I just blabbed the thoughts that I'd been wanting to spill for ages. I could tell Loki wasn't impressed as his hand tensed under the table before he removed it completely. Even Romanoff couldn't suppress a giggle. I was beginning to feel like myself again, once I overlooked the killing part. "What?" I asked, looking at Loki. Now even I was struggling to cover up a laugh. "Oh come on! You have to admit that was pretty funny." He definitely wasn't impressed. "Okayyyy...sheesh tough crowd."  
"I'll tell Doctor Harris you're coming down." Pepper curtly remarked before saying goodbye and exiting the suite, giving Stark a quick kiss before she went. Being reminded of the current situation killed my laughter instantly as I started to get up. "I'll see you later then sir." He nodded as he and Loki began to escort me to the lift. "Hang on a second..." I started, stopping them in their tracks. "Does this mean I get super powers now?"  
"What." A blunt response was all I received from Stark.  
"Like captain America! Because of the skeleton replacement they would've had to replace some major muscles to compensate from the increased strength of the bone structure, so, does that mean I have super strength now?"  
"Just get in the elevator." Stark shook his head, lightly pushing me towards the doors.  
"OMG IT DOES, DOESN'T IT? YESSS! Ok I totally need a name! Like a really cool one!"  
"No, you really don't!" Stark urged, pushing me even further towards the lift doors.  
"And a costume! But not one like Captain America's 'cause that's just cheesey..."  
"OK! Get in the elevator right now!" With one last forceful shove, Tony pushed me into the lift before turning on his heel and walking off, shaking his head. "AND IT'S LIFT NOT ELEVATOR!" I called back before the doors locked me inside. "WHATEVER." I just heard him yell back. Loki and I just looked at each other before bursting out laughing as we began to descend.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"So what are you actually going to do now?" Loki asked after we (well just me really) finished giggling like kids.  
"What do you mean?"  
"You lied to Stark about going to the medical area." I shivered as he studied me with those eyes. Emerald Green and dancing with the intrigue of many secrets and untold mysteries. It was unnerving that they weren't all that different from my own. "I didn't actually lie to him. I just never specified when I was going to med bay...but I will eventually." He raised his eyebrow at me in a way as if to say, 'Yeah, I totally believe you.' With nothing more I could say, I just shrugged and hit another number on the lift keypad. "How did you know I wasn't exactly telling the truth to Stark anyway? Stark believed it." He smirked, out of pride as it seemed.  
"I can tell the face of a liar when I see one."  
"Uh huh." I stared at him blankly, unimpressed. "And what does the face of a liar look like exactly?"  
"Why don't you look in the mirror and see for yourself?" Ouch. 

Before heading to the Medical Bay, as promised, I first made a quick stop at the lab. Just picking up a few...essentials. After what I had been told, there was no way I wasn't going to do a bit of research of my own. A microscope, headset and a spare electronic tablet were stuffed into what I claimed to be an 'overnight bag', before heading into the lift again. Loki had stuck by me the whole time, making snide comments here and there, all of which I ultimately ignored. A quick text to Ella giving her an excuse why I was going to be ignoring her for a bit and I was away. "Why do you need all that?" Loki had enquired.  
"In case I get bored." I'd supplied without taking my eyes off my phone. 

As expected, doctor Harris was waiting for me when I arrived. She eyed Loki as I exited and I chuckled as she gave him her signature glare. Loki raised an eyebrow at me, puzzled. "You know when you crushed my arm, shoved me into a wall, insulted me and then left me to hobble down here on my own?" I started. He didn't respond so I assumed he knew what I meant. "Doctor Harris still hasn't forgiven you for that." With a shrug he leant back against the wall just as the doors closed. "Typical." I muttered before being escorted to my temporary bed room. I collapsed on the comfy bed with a sigh. A look of pain or sorrow was expressed on her face as I started to speak. "How did you-"  
"Sophie, please, don't ask me questions about what happened to you. I'm about as clueless as you are... I did what I was told, keeping it all from you, but believe me it was far from what I had wanted and suggested." She hadn't met my eyes the whole time she spoke, I wasn't sure if that was nerves or just plain guilt. "I figured, as you're usual self, you would attempt to do some research by yourself in here, with no interruptions and the excuse that you're just 'recovering from the revelation'..." Busted. Great. Now I needed to come up with an excuse so she wouldn't take my resources away. "So...I took the liberty of putting all the necessary equipment in the cupboard for you. Try not to injure yourself too much." My jaw dropped in utter shock.  
"I...er...I...um...thank you." I gave a small smile whilst trying to search for the right words to express my gratitude. "Don't mention it...'cause in a way, it's kinda my apology for keeping it from you...just don't be surprised if it's the only apology you get. You know what they're like." With a small laugh and smile she left me to my own devices. Just like that. 

It felt like hours I'd been in that room, studying cells and blood samples, when in reality a single hour hadn't even gone by. Exhausted and frustrated I collapsed on my bed with an exasperated breath. They only thing I had done was prove the information Stark had given me. It was true my skeleton had been replaced, and my theory about the muscle enhancement had also been proved correct, but no new facts had been uncovered. Defeated, I tried searching through my mind for memories about what happened, but with each attempt came blankness like something was missing, taken, with no explanation. The emptiness was accompanied by a splitting pain, which encouraged me not to continue my exploits. I rubbed my eyes and held my hands to my face, breathing deeply as the ache subsided. My curiosity flared, but I had lost all motivation to investigate further. I wanted to do something else. Something that wouldn't remind me of everything that has happened. Something exciting. 

"Sir. I have found where HYDRA intends to 'reveal' themselves next." JARVIS' familiar voice rang out in the suite, grabbing Starks attention. Those also in the room, those being Loki, Thor, Director Fury and Romanoff, subtly eavesdropped on the conversation that followed. "It seems they are appearing at the 'Blackpool of America' Dance Hall." JARVIS continued.  
"Why there?" Stark enquired, pouring himself a drink.  
"Some of the world's top power players are going to be there as well, sir, it is unclear as to why HYDRA will be accompanying them." Stark indicated to Director Fury to get the others as Stark flicked a switch on a nearby panel, resulting in a suit being revealed from behind a wall.  
"Sir, I don't think that's wise." JARVIS commented. For once, Stark actually stopped.  
"Why not?"  
"If I assume correctly, the people involved in Sophie's 'issue' will be attending also. If they get a hint of S.H.I.E.L.D and/or their associates, HYDRA will be gone without a trace. I think it would be better if you were to go in pretending to be a party guest as opposed to charging in all guns blazing." Stark thought for a moment before Romanoff spoke up.  
"That seems logical. We would probably find out more if we went undercover." Their heads turned to the elevator as Barton, Dr. Banner and Captain America strolled in. "I hear we're going to a party." The captain smirked.  
"Don't make jokes. You're not funny, grandpa." Stark shot back bluntly. Cap ignored him, as usual.  
"So what's the plan?" Banner tentatively asked.  
"We go in, try and find out what HYDRA's up to, and leave again unnoticed." Romanoff supplied vaguely. "I don't see how that's going to work." Banner retorted. The others looked at him, puzzled. "Stark and Thor are two of the most recognisable faces on the planet after what happened in New York. If you go sauntering in, they'll know something's up instantaneously."  
"Well, you definitely have a point there Doc..." Director Fury thought out loud. "...so who should we send?"  
"We need someone who's is experienced at going undercover, naming Barton and Romanoff, but we also need someone who knows about the HYDRA situation and how to handle their technology. A.K.A the Chitauri weapons. Because there's no point sending in two highly trained spies if they don't know what to ask when it comes to it." Cap suggested. "Any ideas about who could be the techie?" Silence fell as their brains whirred with ideas about who to send in. One by one, they came to the horrifying conclusion about who was needed to go in. Eyes fell on Loki, and he returned their gaze with a one worded question. "What?" After a couple of tense moments, he caught on as to what they were suggesting. "No. Absolutely not. No!" 

I sat up cautiously as the door slid open smoothly. No one was due to come in until much later on, so what was this about? It turned out to be Stark who had entered my room. "What have I done now?" I groaned.  
"Nothing." He replied. "It's what you're going to do that's the matter." 

After being explained the plan at least 3 times, Loki and I responded in unison. "NO! I am not pretending to go to a dance with him as a date! Not a chance! I don't care if it's to find out about HYDRA! The answer's no!"  
"Oh come on. The answers you've been looking for all this time could be waiting at this place! Is it really that much of an ask?" Stark moaned.  
"Yes! It really is! And besides, it's been less than 24 hours since I started 'searching for the answers I've been looking for'! I can wait."  
"Lives could be at risk if we don't find out this information, think about that."  
"I am not going in that place with a mortal as a companion. Absolutely not." It was Thor's turn to be aggravated this time. "Brother please. Put your pride aside for just one time! As stark said, lives could be at risk! Please!"  
"They are mortals! What do I care?" Loki barked.  
"No! I'm not going and that's final!" Loki and I finished. 

The limo was waiting to escort us to the dance hall outside the door of Stark Tower at 7:00pm that day. My purple gown trailed behind me as I exited the lift. "I better get a pay rise for this. Seriously." I whispered aggressively as I passed Stark. My dress was long so that it covered the full length of my body, with short sleeves revealing long, thin arms. I had applied layers upon layers of makeup to cover up the scars I had noticed and luckily, no one had realised what I had done, so far. A dainty silver clutch bag was being held in my right hand, concealing a few essential gadgets needed to find these people, and a few...emergency precautions, had been thrown in as well. Loki and Barton were standing casually by the vehicle as I walked out. I pretended not to notice them as their gaze fell on me. Out if the corner if my eye, I saw Loki's eyes widen in surprise, and was that...amusement? Oh come on! How could he find this funny? He was wearing a well-tailored suit and tie with a long jacket and a black and grey checked scarf. It seemed he was dressed the same way as he was when he 'visited' Germany the last time he was on earth. I wasn't there, but I saw enough from the surveillance. Those poor people... Eventually, Romanoff arrived in a petite black dress and heels, which I assumed had various weapons concealed inside. "Not a word." She scolded, ignoring everyone as she gracefully climbed into the limousine. Sometimes, I wished I had her confidence, her ease around people, but then again, her confident exterior was probably nothing compared to what she was feeling inside. I followed the S.H.I.E.L.D agent into the limo and sat in the darkest corner, as far away from everyone else as physically possible. Swiftly after, Barton and Loki clambered in and took their seats opposite, saying nothing. Loki eyed me as he sat down. An expression I ultimately ignored. After we were settled, Stark poked his head in the door. "We'll be on the end of your ear pieces at all times, ok, just speak normally and we'll be able to hear. I don't know why I'm saying this, you all know how to use them anyway." With a reluctant sigh, and a sorrowful glance my way, he shut the door and rapped on the driver window to indicate we were ready to leave. The engine softly rumbled into life as we started to pull away. I silently chastised myself for ever agreeing to this. Not only am I going undercover, I have to pretend to be madly in _love _with _Loki_. Fantastic. 

We rode in silence, each concealed within our own thoughts. Mine were pretty much based on making a list in my head of reasons why I should never have agreed to this and screaming internally at myself at why I let them talk me into it. We pulled up in front of the door and watched as a man dressed in a black suit with tails, along with pristine white gloves. "Follow our lead and don't do anything stupid." Romanoff hissed before taking Barton's hand and exiting the Limo, leaving Loki and I inside. Loki held out his hand, expecting me to take it. I almost didn't, but I heard Stark speaking through my earpiece. "Sophie, all the guests are partners or married couples. You have to look happy." Taking a deep breath to stop myself from saying something I'd regret, I cautiously placed my hand into his. He smirked at my discomfort to which I responded with a glare. However, it soon faded into a fake, and hopefully convincing, smile as he helped me out of the vehicle. He folded his arm, placing his fist against his chest, indicating he wanted me to take his arm. I flashed him a brief look before submitting and allowing him to walk me to the door. "Try not to kill anyone this time." I murmured before thanking the guard for holding the door open. I felt Loki squeeze my arm, not in a friendly way, as a warning and this time it was my turn to smirk. The ball room was a mixture of intricate of patterns painted in all colours upon golden walls. It reminded me of the ballroom that Belle danced in, in Beauty and the Beast. Ironic given my current circumstances. We saw Romanoff and Barton in the centre of the floor, dancing. To anyone else it would just look like a couple dancing the night away merrily, but I could see Natasha scanning the room with every twirl, Barton eyeballing the balconies with every twist. They were good at coverups, I had to admit...but then again, I guess they had to be. "Shall we get a drink?" Loki suggested. It must've been the most reasonable thing I'd heard from his mouth today...or this week for that matter. "Um...yes? Please." We politely excused our way through the mass of bodies and the stench of expensive perfumes to the bar, where we hovered for a moment as we realised neither of us had any money. After a moment, Loki stepped towards me, way too close. Uncomfortably close. He rested his hands on my hips and I nearly blew our cover trying to cope with my sudden outrage and discomfort...until he whispered in my ear. "Along the top balcony. The waiters...they have guns in their waistbands and are too serious to be normal staff..." Subtly, I began to tilt my head to look. "Don't. Don't look now. Making eye contact and looking for them will rouse suspicion." He pulled away and smiled as if nothing had happened. I smiled back, just to keep up the act. There was no way I meant it. I was scared as, right now.  
Talk of the devil, a smiling waiter dressed in a red old-style suit approached us with a tray of drinks and offered one to each of us. "Drinks...er Mr and Mrs...?"  
"Markison." Stark supplied in my ear.  
"Mr and Mrs Markison." I jumped in, taking my glass of champagne from the man.  
"Ah! Mrs Markison! An honour! How was your flight over?" He asked, still smiling and offering his hand to shake. "The Markison's are Spanish, luckily with fluent English. Improvise.  
Convince him you're genuine."  
"Sí! Fui muy bien gracias! Buenos noches señor." I answered, nodding politely and taking Loki's arm to head back to the floor. The waiter seems happy with my response and bowed curtly; heading off to provide more drinks. "What was that?" Loki murmured.  
"Spanish. It's a language." I muttered back, bluntly.  
"...what you don't all speak the same tongue? The same race, but you speak differently?" He enquired, genuinely confused. "Just...never mind." I rolled my eyes. Asgardians.  
"Where are the other two?" He asked, dropping the subject.  
"How would I know!" I snapped under my breath.  
"On your six." Romanoff's cold voice pierced my ear piece. Loki casually scanned the room, not appearing to be looking for anything in particular. For a moment he held Romanoff's gaze, barely a second, before moving on and turning to talk to me again. Suddenly, music started playing and couples around us started to take hold of their partners. This was a dance. "Oh no..." I began to panic slightly inside. "Shall we?" Loki raised an eyebrow, mocking.  
"Nope. I'm getting a drink." Stating my opinion very bluntly I began to head for the bar, again. A firm hand grasped my arm. "Not an option. We're being watched." One arm wrapped round my waist whilst his other held my hand. I felt vulnerable being openly held like this by him. He was so unpredictable, you never really knew what he would do. "I can't dance..." I muttered, slightly ashamed.  
"Have you ever tried?"  
"No. Meaning I can't."  
"It's easy. Just follow my lead. You'll be fine."  
"...uh huh. Don't hold your breath." We began to move slowly with the rest of the crowd. I tried to avoid searching for whoever it was that was watching us, but it was difficult. I stepped and turned as gracefully as I could (which wasn't very graceful compared to Loki, who was stunningly  
good at this)and although I hate to admit it, he was right. Dancing was easy...sort of. When you overlooked the fact that I nearly fell head over heels on several occasions, yes it was fine. Each time though, Loki caught me and held me up again without hesitation, which somewhat surprised me. The track finally drew to a close after what seemed like eons, and guests began to congregate underneath the balcony atop of a large ornate staircase. We went along with them, unsure of why or what we were waiting for. "Told you you'd be fine." Loki remarked.  
"Fine? Fine? That was fine?" I didn't have to say anymore. He got the message. "Sir. What's this about?" My voice was barely a whisper but I knew he'd hear it.  
"Haven't the faintest. Go with it." Well that was helpful. Not.  
A tall man in a sharp suit stepped out onto the balcony overlooking us all. His hair was jet black, and I could just make out his facial features. Blue eyes, looked around 40 years of age. But the thing that startled me the most, even though I shouldn't have, deep down somewhere...I recognised him. I couldn't have told you who he was if you'd held a bullet to my head however, his face it just...rung a bell. The audience grew silent as his gaze swept through the crowd, resting on me for a brief moment, before moving on. Ok. Now I was getting worried. First I recognise him, then he focuses right on me as he's scanning the guests. "Something's wrong." I murmured. "This isn't right."  
The man addressed everyone. "Ladies and gentlemen! I must thank you all for coming on this momentous occasion! It's such a pleasure for me to be able to host such a great many of you under the name of HYDRA."  
"Momentous?" Loki muttered, his voice concerned.  
"Sir." Nothing. "Stark? Sir?" Nothing. The coms were down. Oh no.  
"Most of you will remember project 'Winter Soldier' which I had the great honour of being a part of..." Murmurs of agreement across the guests. We joined in to look part of it. "Unfortunately, as you may well know, that didn't turn out all that well in the end...but then, HYDRA managed to acquire some new technology! Oh what fun we had! Oh yes! Project Sibellius swiftly followed. We used the Tesseract research previously gathered along with our new sources to create a master piece! The first superpower within a human that could rival even that of Gods..." I subtly glanced around me at those standing by me. There were 6 waiters at prime position for an ambush...aimed at me! "Sophie Melissa Riches. Our greatest success!" No! People took a step back from me, leaving a wide circle of floor space. Loki stood slightly in front of me in what appeared to be a protective stance, but it would've been no use. We were completely surrounded. "I...don't remember anything..." I whispered to myself. "Why...?"  
"Of course, S.H.I.E.L.D had to come and mess everything up again..." A chorus of 'boos' rang out.  
"But as the cowards they are..." He was now descending the staircase as he talked. "Handed our fine work straight back to us because they were too scared to deal with the consequences of having her in their works."  
"What?" I cried out. "What are you talking about? I don't even know you!"  
"Sophie..." Loki hissed. "Don't." The strange man laughed as he finally came to stand within the circle. "Of course you wouldn't! We wiped your memory-"  
"How." I demanded, stepping beside Loki as opposed to behind.  
"It's rude to interrupt."  
"It's rude to tamper with people's heads without permission." I barked back. A symphony of laughters broke out among the guests. "Silly girl! Wow. You really don't remember anything do you? Ha! Sophie...you volunteered for the project! What happened to you was entirely your fault!" Tears stung my eyes as I faltered. "What...I...er...I..." Stammering, I fumbled around for the right words. "Just leave it for the moment, it's ok..." Loki whispered, subtly placing a comforting hand on my arm. "As I was saying...it's fantastic that you've come to join us again! I'll enjoy working with you! You and your...accomplice." Where were Barton and Romanoff? They should be here with- hang on. What did he say? Work with him again? What...? Out of the blue, a waiter stepped forward and brought my arms behind my back as another one did Loki's as well. He didn't struggle. Neither did I. There was no point. There were too many people around to make a decent shot at escaping. "Now of course...your brains will be furiously calculating how to get out of this situation. Whether to wait it out...attack now...either way...that's not acceptable." The strange man continued. "Sorry about this." A sharp, stinging pain burst through my neck as my vision grew hazy. The last thing I felt was the weight of my now limp body falling forward.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 

I could feel the weight of handcuffs pinning my arms behind my back as I drearily opened my eyes. It took me a few moments to become aware of my surroundings and get my bearings. I was surrounded by 3 pristine white walls and a solid glass one in front of me. I was in a cell. Crap. I'd been tied to a steel chair, which I soon realised had been nailed to the floor to prevent escape attempts. "Well that sucks..." I muttered to myself. With no evidence that anyone was coming, I tried to remember what had happened...oh yeah, that's right! We were abandoned in the dance hall, just where HYDRA wanted us. That was certainly no coincidence. How could they have known we were going unless someone told them? And where were Barton and Romanoff when we got caught? Talking of which, where was Loki now? The last thing I saw was them handcuffing him as well. They've probably got him locked up in a cell too. As if on cue, the clunk of a door being unlocked sounded and the strange man appeared at the glass, grinning. "Good morning!"  
"Screw you." I grunted, trying to wriggle out of my ties. I wanted to go for him, a feeling I wasn't all that used to, but given the situation, I figured it was with good reason. "What do you want?" I barked. "I don't want anything, it's what I'm going to get is what should be of your concern." I frowned, mulling over what he'd just said. "...have you ever considered getting help? I mean, seriously? 'Cause, DAMN, you have some issues dude." He chuckled, barely acknowledging I'd said anything at all. He began to look around the cell, as if he were studying it. "You designed this cell you know, including the part where the chair was nailed to the floor. You thought that if you could escape our cell, anyone could. So, you completely re-designed it...I must confess, you did a marvellous job! It has been most...productive." His hands were in his pockets and he was wearing another well-tailored suit, blue this time. His black hair was combed back neatly and his shoes well-polished. He really must've felt highly of himself to take this much care in his appearance. "Why would I do that? That seems like a pretty stupid thing to do; designing a cell that even I couldn't escape. What was the point?" He chuckled yet again, rocking back on his heels. "Why would it be stupid? You were giving us no reason to need to put you in it. You were doing us a favour. Like the brave, clever soldier you once were." If I was drinking at the time he'd said that, I'd have spit it out again in shock. "Soldier? ME? A Soldier?"  
"Oh yes! The very best! The one and only. It was my father that engineered your genetics you know...after you were taken from us, all he ever prattled on about is how to get you back. Sadly, he passed away before he could get a chance to see his final success returned to him...but now, here you are."  
"Uh huh...and you're being the good little boy and taking over Daddy's business? Oh diddums." I almost snarled trying, and mostly failing, to keep the anger out of my voice. "Not gonna happen. I am I not helping you, again. Whatever happened before, I don't care. I'm not helping you." I could tell my efforts at trying to look courageous were in vain. He wasn't fooled. The strange man laughed, throwing his head back and everything this time. "Yes you will!" His voice was high pitched and patronising as he leaned closer to the glass. "You don't have a choice!"  
"There's always a choice." I snapped back, my hope depleting with every passing moment. "We'll see." He pressed a button on one of the nearby walls and the glass wall smoothly slid open, allowing him to step inside. He had a tablet in his hand, Apple by the looks of it...should be relatively easy to hack if I had the chance. On the screen, was a live video feed. It was another cell, a grubby looking one at that, and chained up against the wall...was Loki. "Like I said, you don't have a choice."  
"NO! YOU ASSHOLE!" I screamed at him, trying to lunge but the chair and handcuffs held me back. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed my veins turn bright blue as the Tesseract energy began to flow again. Noticing it, he smirked and remarked. "Ah! I see you still have it!" I ignored him as I turned my attention back to the screen. Loki looked hurt. Badly hurt. Blood streaked down his face, as he looked like he had little energy left. He could barely stand. Hatred for the man was replaced with despair as I saw Loki in such a state. "You tortured him."  
"...well yes. It was bargaining material. Otherwise, there was no way we were going to get you to comply. Now, speaking of which, here's what's going to happen."  
"No! I will not help you! Not now! Not ever! You psycho!" He let out a resigned sigh. "Yes you will. Don't think this is our only means of getting you to help. This was the lesser of two, well four or five, evils. Now, if you offer to help us, willingly, we will let him go as unharmed as possible and everyone's happy. Or...you could act like a child and still refuse, and we kill him. Simple." I glared at him as if my look of pure disgust could deter him in any way. "You can't kill him. He's an Asgardian." He shook his head, disdainfully.  
"You're so naive. Of course we can, and the more you waste time the longer he's in there suffering. So, what's your choice?" With a gulp, I leant back in my chair staring sorrowfully at the iPad. After a while, the gravity of the consequences pushed me to a decision. "Fine. But I want proof he's been let out safely. I'm not helping you until I see him out, and safe. Understand?" He smiled as he realised his victory. "Loud and clear."

After I'd conceded, 2 armed guards came in and unchained me. I didn't make a move nor try to stop them. There was no use anymore. This was it. They lead me up some stairs where we came to overlook the street below. We were quite high up; an abandoned/renovated office block I was assuming. "I'm confused. I thought you were going to prove to me you were letting Loki out unharmed." Looking out of the window, the man answered without looking .  
"We are. Just from 40 floors up so you can't 'do a runner' so to speak." Damn, this guy thought of everything didn't he?' "Look. They're bringing him out now." He gestured to the window and smirked. I rushed up to it, peering out into the open. Two more armed officers were dragging what appeared to be a body, all bloody and weak. "HEY! WE AGREED UNHARMED!" I yelled. Grabbing the man by his collars I pinned him up against the wall. "No, we agreed we wouldn't harm him after you submitted. What you see now is what happened before. I did warn you not to waste time." With a forceful shove and a grunt, I returned to my place at the window and helplessly looked out and the figure below. An idea crossed my mind. "You need me alive to help you right?" The man nodded reluctantly, squinting as he tried to figure out what I was thinking. "And how many floors up are we? I mean, in such an impressive establishment we must be what…40 floors up?" Appealing to his vanity appeared to work as he gave me exactly the answer I was looking for. "38 actually, and yes we—Wait you're not seriously going to—!" The only downside of my plan was that he figured out what I was going to do, just before I did it. Luckily, I hadn't left any time for him to react. Folding my arms and transferring any power I had to my right side, I smashed through the window, closing my eyes as I began to fall the 38 stories to the pavement below. This was going to hurt. That, I was sure of.

I'd curled up my body as I fell, hoping it would soften the blow, but to no avail. There was a sickening crack as I eventually collided with the concrete. The impact reverberated throughout my body, forcing me to take a few moments to try and cope. The pain, as expected, was excruciating. Most would say that my actions were stupid, foolish, and they probably were. But no one could deny that at least I'd tried. I could've sworn there and then I'd broken at least most of my limbs, and maybe a few ribs as well, but I was relieved to find my legs still worked when I moved to try and stand. Loki was in a heap a few paces away from me. Close up, he looked about just as bad as I was now! Biting through the pain, I heaved myself up so I could just stand. I limped my way over to him, but my knees buckled just as I reached him. "Come on…" I murmured through the agony. "We have to…go…" The only response I got was moans of distress. Determined we were going to make it, I wrapped one arm around his waist and tried to drag him up with me as I began to stand again. It was no easy task! He was heavier than he looked! "Loki! Please! We don't have…much time!" He grabbed one of my arms to steady himself as we rose. "Go." He choked out once we'd finally managed to stand.  
"Nuh uh. Not going to happen. Come. ON!" Little by little, I could feel my strength regaining. I guess this whole Tesseract energy thing did have its perks. "Come on!" I urged. We were so close to being able to make a break for it, just a little more… "I jumped out of a window for you! The least you could do is try to save yourself!" Sarcasm at the most inappropriate timings, right there. It seemed to be just the boost he needed however. With one arm draped over my shoulder we limped as far and fast as we could into the midst of the New York rush hour crowd.

I knew we needed to go somewhere HYDRA wouldn't find us, but that would take days! We needed urgent help, and rest, quick. I resorted to heading to the only place where I knew I could be safe, for a while anyway. The one place I could go where I didn't have to worry about trust…

My apartment. It took an internal, very heated argument with myself to even think about taking Loki into my home, but care was going to have to take priority over pride right now. Hopefully, HYDRA hadn't followed us, but I doubt they would get a trace once we were in the rush hour crowd. I knew for a fact that Stark removed all traces of my address from any system anywhere, for safety reasons. I never understood why before, I did now. We hobbled our way to the base of the tower block of apartments and to the lift, Loki still draped around me. Eventually, we made our way up to the 49th floor where my home was situated and continued to the doorway. I fumbled around for the key and unlocked it, pushing my way through hastily. A moan of protest sounded from my associate as I hauled us through the door and into the lounge. Unsure of what to do and desperate I practically dragged him into my bedroom where I laid him down on the soft mattress. I could see just from his expression he was in agony, but there was a slight sense of relief as he was comforted by the soft mattress. His groans soon fell silent as he appeared to fall asleep…at least I hoped he was sleeping. "Oh god." I pressed my fingers up against his wrist to check for a pulse. It was still there. Breathing a shaky sigh of relief, I set about making him as comfortable as possible, placing drinks by his bedside and everything. Finally satisfied that he would be ok when he woke up, I took a look at myself in the mirror. As expected, I looked awful. Dried up blood clung to my face and limbs and I was still picking out shards of glass that were embedded in my skin after I jumped. I don't know what came over me when I did it. I guess I kinda felt…responsible, for what happened. I mean, he wouldn't have got caught up in it all if I'd have just done what I was told and stayed out of Stark's files…Yes, but then you would never have found out what really happened to you. I countered. Once again, it appeared that I was having a debate, with myself. Exhausted, grubby and just generally hacked off, I settled for taking a long over-due shower.

_Loki  
_

I was aware that I wasn't in familiar surroundings the moment I awoke. The room was alien to me as I slowly tilted my head up to get a better look around. Everything was aching, but I had to admit the soft mattress did help. It seemed I was in a bedroom, but it certainly wasn't mine. Looking down at myself I noticed that my once pristine suit was blood-stained and ragged, but I wasn't that bothered. Mortal clothes were insignificant, much like themselves really. There was a bedside table to my left, which had on it a glass of what appeared to be water, with these strange, small, chalk-like discs. I think the humans called them…tablets? Leaning against the glass was a little paper note which read:

Take the tablets, it will ease the pain.  
S x

S? What was that supposed to mean? Sophie, perhaps? Or maybe something else? Either way, I was not 'taking those tablets'. Not a chance. Making my decision, I attempted getting off the bed and seeing precisely where I was, and with whom. The minute I tried any considerable amounts of movement, a splitting pain occurred. It took several attempts at trying to conquer the pain before concluding that it was just too much. Maybe I would take one of those tablets…no one would know. What's the worst that could happen?

Satisfied and feeling slightly better, I headed out. The room that was then revealed wasn't very impressive. Basic furniture with large windows overlooking the city. It was a nice view I had to admit, but nothing compared to that of Asgard. In the centre of the room was a brown leather sofa, and on it lay Sophie. I froze. Was she awake? Apparently not. The delicate sound of her heavy breathing and lack of movement confirmed as much. I crept over, careful not to make too much noise…hold on. Why was I even bothered? It didn't matter if she was disturbed. She was mortal, nothing…right? Who was I kidding. I felt…something for her. Whether it was that I cared for her…or, was it longing, perhaps? I should hope not, but something… Maybe it was the fact that no matter what had happened previously, in the metal man's strange tower, she still saved me, still looked out for me. Now that was something I couldn't deny. It was a feeling I'd never really experienced before, the sense of having someone at your back. It was…nice. I leant over the cushions, a small smile teasing at the corner of my mouth. She looked so frail, all curled up against the back rest. I noticed scars and blood stains were scattered about her face, making me feel a pang of regret as some of those were probably my fault. I found myself reaching out to her, delicately brushing my fingers across her cheek. Her eyes flew open as one hand grabbed my wrist with shocking speed. I'd woken her up as it seemed…oops.

_Sophie  
_

I was aware of someone touching me, and that was when I woke up. I had fallen asleep on the couch earlier, exhausted and with nowhere else to go as I'd rented out my room. My hand flew to grasp the person who'd woken me. Who was it? Was it HYDRA? Had they found me already? Surely not, I mean it must've taken them longer than—oh. It was just Loki. "Oh! Er…sorry." Slightly embarrassed I hurriedly let go of his arm. "No, no. It's…alright. I'm sorry to have startled you." Whoa. Did he seriously just say that? Confused and unsure if it was the Loki I knew standing before me I got up to face him. Frowning, I placed my hand on his forehead and then took it away again. No temperature. He seemed alright. "Dude, did you seriously just…apologise? Wow. Man, they must've hurt you real bad." I struggled to contain a smile at my oh so appropriately timed sarcasm.  
"Mortals? Harm me? Are you being serious?" I could tell he was holding back a smile as well. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, a nervous tick. "Now what?" I asked after a moment of silence.  
"Where can we go? I mean, HYDRA's right outside the door, and I don't trust anyone back at Stark's place, and you're certainly not fit enough to go to any considerable lengths to fight back right now…"  
He began to complain about my last comment, but then reconsidered and remained silent. "I guess we just wait it out. See what happens." Shrugging, I eased back into the sofa and indicated to Loki he could sit down if he so wished. He didn't object. His movements were jagged and slow as he moved round to sit next to me, and I could tell he was still in pain. I guess the Paracetamol didn't work too well. We sat in silence for quite some time, I imagined, but I wasn't sure. Lost in our own thoughts and with neither making any move to start any conversation, I began to drift off back to sleep. I felt my head sliding slightly to the side as the weight of my head pulled it to the side and instantly heaved it back up again. Fingers crossed, Loki didn't notice my apparent objection to sleeping with him near. It just felt wrong. Sleeping put you in a state of vulnerability, and to leave yourself open like that with someone who could potentially be a serious threat was just a stupid thing to do. But of course, he noticed everything. "You don't have to be scared. I'm not going to hurt you. Relax." I wasn't sure whether to be more scared or somewhat comforted. My instinct was telling me not to, not to trust him and just get up and move on, but my heart was telling me to take a chance. At first my instinct seemed to be swaying my decision, but then he rested a cold hand atop of mine and murmured. "I promise." My heart won the battle. I allowed my head to fall back onto the head rest. "5 minutes." I told myself. "5 minutes." I was nearly asleep when I felt it. A strong arm sliding around my back, gently tugging on my side until my body slid towards him, forcing me to rest on his shoulder. A gesture I welcomed with a small smile before drifting off once more.

I woke up again in the same position as I'd fell asleep in, with Loki's arm wrapped around my waist and my head leaning on his shoulders. He looked down at me with a friendly smile, a rare sight, as my eyes fluttered open. "Told you." He pointed out. I smiled back at him, happy to be proved wrong for a change. Content at how I was, I didn't make any attempt to move or get up. Loki made no attempt either, which pleased me for some reason. I don't know why. For a few more moments we lay there. He rested his head on mine and I wasn't bothered in the slightest. For the first time in years, I felt truly content to be this close and this open with another person, especially a guy. "Hey…" I eventually murmured.  
"Hmmm?"  
"Are you hungry? 'Cause I really want some food…" I was honestly expecting him to retort back with some snide comment about human food but he just sighed and answered bluntly. "Yep."

"Sir. We seemed to have lost coms with Sophie and the agents." JARVIS' voice unhelpfully rang out. "Yes thank you JARVIS, we noticed." The last thing Stark and Fury heard from the coms was a man rattling on about a momentous occasion for HYDRA then all they received was static. Stark had furiously smashed his fist on the table in anger. "We were so close. We had them! Then they had to go and cut the line didn't they. How convenient."  
"Well someone must've known they were there. Someone must've alerted HYDRA beforehand that S.H.I.E.L.D were going to be at this do. Everything seemed to organised for there to be any other logical explanation." Director Fury had remarked. Stark was running his hand through his hair in frustration. "We need to find this mole, before any other incidents like this happen. Now, we don't know where any of them are..." As if on cue, the lift doors opened and Captain America and Thor hustled in, carrying the limp frames of Romanoff and Barton. "Oh my god." Stark exhaled, rushing over. He called for the med team to be called up as they tried to make the two agents as comfortable as possible. They looked like they'd been in a vicious fight, which was logical considering where they were and the injuries they now had. "It'll be a while before they wake and we can get any info on what happened...given their injuries. These are pretty bad." Stark muttered. So many questions had appeared with no clue as to their answers. What had happened to Barton and Romanoff? Where was Loki and Sophie? Who was this mole? And what was HYDRA planning next?

"Hail HYDRA, sir." The familiar chant of the guard entering the room signified more information from the last nights party had come in. "What is it?" The strange man carelessly threw back, keeping up his proud, heartless exterior. "The two S.H.I.E.L.D agents got away after the incident, sir."  
"WHAT?" He bellowed. This was not what he needed to hear right now. First project Sibellius jumps out of a window, and now the S.H.I.E.L.D agents escaped? What was this world coming to? "For heaven's sake. I give almost all the HYDRA soldiers the energy harnessed from the Chitauri, and how do you repay me? Failure? Not an option." He was only just struggling to keep in control In his state of the art, modern office, the top floor of the hidden HYDRA base. It was an impressive room. Technology lining each wall, massive windows overlooking New York, an office even the rich would envy. "Sir...we did manage to deal significant damage before they got away. They shouldn't recover, or even wake up for that matter, for at least a few weeks." Well at least that was something. "...good. Now get out of my sight and do something useful. I am not in the mood to deal with you right now." Still, only just keeping it in control the strange man dismissed the guard. With a sigh he took a seat at his desk and rolled up the sleeve of his suit. The familiar blue glow of the Tesseract Energy flowing through his veins reminded him of how close he was to losing it, mere moments earlier. One of two who had been blessed with the gift of the Tesseract Energy. The project had originally been a success before S.H.I.E.L.D came and messed it all up. Destroying the research and taking away the final project. After that, HYDRA had resorted to using the Chitauri energy instead. It wasn't as powerful, but was easier for the human body to adjust to, which was why the HYDRA soldiers had been given it. They would never be as strong as those with the Tesseract Energy, but they would be strong nonetheless. "So close. Just a little more and the world will be in the palm of our hands."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Have you ever had a KFC?" I asked Loki, still leaning on his shoulder.  
"A KF...what?" He asked back, puzzled.  
"A KFC. It's a type of fast food! It's so nice! You have to try it! Come on!" I moved to get up, just managing to push myself up off the sofa before strong arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back down again. With an exasperated breath I turned to look at him, a childish scowl playing on my face. "What?"  
"No, Sophie. We can't. You said so yourself that it's not safe to go out there with them running loose, KF...whatever or not, we're not leaving."  
"It's KFC, and shouldn't it be my call whether we stay in my apartment or not? You. Are still a guest." I huffed.  
"Yes, but it's obvious who is the superior here so sit down and shh. You can't go out there, and that's final."  
"Since when are you the boss of me?" I snapped back, but it came out as more of a quip as opposed to an insult. "If you remember correctly, I was the one who jumped out of the window for you." He opened his mouth to say something back, but then changed his mind. There wasn't really anything he could say to that. I tried to get up again, but his arms were still tightly wrapped around me. At seeing my efforts, he smirked and pulled me further towards him. "Hey! Not fair. Let me up."  
"Promise you won't leave, then I'll let you up."  
"I'm not promising anything."  
"Then you're not getting up." His grin seemed to widen as I struggled to get out for a bit longer but then conceded and collapsed back into his arms, comfortably. "Since when were you so concerned for my welfare anyway? It's not like you cared before..." I observed. It hadn't crossed my mind that his attitude towards me would have changed after what I did, I mean, he wasn't exactly the kind of guy you would expect to be caring for anyone, if I was brutally honest. Ok maybe that was a bit harsh, but that's how it seemed. "Since you started seeing past the monster..." He murmured after a while. His voice came out as barely a whisper, full of sorrow and pain. It made me feel so bad for him. I had never really considered what he had gone through before and it had never been my business to pry. I looked him in the eye, and he caught my gaze for a moment then looked away, releasing his arms as he did so. I slowly stood up but he still averted my gaze, as if he were ashamed. I wasn't sure what to do now. Suddenly, I had an idea. A smile curved my lips upwards as I turned to look at him. "Stay here! Don't move!" He looked slightly concerned as I dashed off back into my bedroom, but said nothing. He leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees, staring intently at my door. After a few minutes I entered the room again, carrying a small cardboard box. I sat down on the sofa again, cross-legged with the box in my lap. "What's that?"  
He asked. I smiled and turned round to face him and indicated for him to do the same. He did. Tentatively, I opened the box, revealing a little clay dragon. It was only about the size of my hand, painted green with large, round ears which seemed slightly out of proportion with its body. It's tiny tail, lined with spikes, curved round so the tip was resting by its feet, which were also very small. It had a mischievous look about its face, but perhaps the most intriguing parts of all were its accessories. It had on its head a gold helmet with horns protruding from its front which leant a little to the side, hanging over one of its large ears. It was also carrying a little ornately patterned notebook and pencil. I rested it on my palm and turned it to face Loki. "This...is a listener dragon!" I announced proudly. He looked utterly confused as he looked between me and the dragon as if I was mad. "A...what?"  
"A listener dragon!" I exclaimed. "Me and my mum used to make these little clay dragons all the time when I was little! Each of them had their own little jobs. Some were listener dragons, some were writing dragons some were arty dragons..."  
"I don't understand. They're inanimate." He commented.  
"Well duh! It's called using your imagination!" I scolded.  
"Well explain then! What are they supposed to do? And why does this one have a helmet...that quite frankly resembles my own?"  
"Ah. Well. My favourite stories as a child were always the ones from Norse Mythology..." I paused, waiting for any kind of response. Nothing. "You know! Stories about you and Odin and Thor?"  
"You have stories about us...?" It seemed as if this was news to him.  
"Well yeah!" I laughed. "I can't believe you didn't know! Some of them are real weird though, I must admit. But there you go..." He smiled slightly.  
"What story was your favourite?" His voice was soft and quiet, a contrast from his usual attitude. My cheeks went slightly pink as the answer came to the forefront of my mind. "My favourite story...was always the one where you cut off Sif's hair, because it always made me laugh." I admitted, now slightly embarrassed. He chuckled at my embarrassment. "You know, I remember doing that...it was quite funny." My heart fluttered at the thought of the stories I used to be told, actually being true. "Seriously? That one actually happened?" He nodded, grinning.  
"Do you know the one about Slephnir?" I nodded hastily, stifling a laugh.  
"How could I not?"  
"That's true too."  
"EW!" I squealed, writhing in my seat. "That's gross!" I laughed shaking my head, trying desperately to get that thought out of my head and he laughed at my reaction. We shared a few minutes of laughter before we calmed down again and I continued what I was saying.  
"As I was saying, this is a listener dragon. Now these were always my favourite because they were supposed to listen to you when you needed to talk to someone or get something off your chest. They have a notepad so they can jot down what you say, like a therapist. This one we named Li'l Loki because we thought it would be funny given the stories we knew...and come on look at that little mischievous smirk! I mean...come on." He placed his head in his hand and shook his head and I could see he was trying not to laugh again. "You named a little, clay, listener dragon...after me?"  
"Yep!" I nodded proudly, giggling.  
"I never listen to anyone!" He exclaimed.  
"I know! That's why we named it after you! Like I said, we thought it would be funny!" I giggled as I thought back to the memory of my mum and I making this one. That was a good day... "We would've named them after something else if we'd known you were real though..." I sighed, the giggles dying. "Aw, why?" He pouted, pretending to be hurt.  
"Because they're supposed to be creatures of the imagination! It takes all the fun away if you name them after something real!"  
"Aw! But I kinda like him! He's rather...cute." Well that was certainly a surprise hearing that from him. "You do?"  
"Yeah! And besides, you're right it does look rather mischievous." It gave me a fuzzy feeling inside knowing he liked it. If I was still 5 years old, I would've been squealing to meet Thor and Loki, but as I got older I guess the magic of all that faded...which was a shame. "Leading on to my next point... I want you to have it."  
"What? No! I can't! That's too special to you, I can see that."  
"Yeah, but you need it more than I do. A listener, so that someone can listen to all your troubles. I have others." I sounded like a little kid trying to explain to an adult that their toys really did come to life when you looked around. "Besides..." I started, quietly. "A memento, from me...and I guess also an apology...for getting you into trouble with the whole HYDRA thing..." He rested a hand in mine and with his other, tilted my chin up to look at him. "I don't need to be given something as special as this for something as minor as that." He stated. But I still felt guilty after what happened.  
"Then take it to remember me by at least. 'Cause you're hardly gonna stay here forever are you..." That last part sounded more disappointed than it really should have. "There's no way I'm going to forget you, Sophie." He took Li'l Loki out of my hand and laid him gently in the box, before cupping my face with both hands. "I promise." Out of the blue there was a distinct thudding on the door. My body jolted from the shock and I had to stop my little dragon from falling on the floor. Loki was already standing facing the door before I'd barely had time to react. He began to move menacingly towards the door but I reached out to grab his arm, holding a finger to my lips. "Whoever it is, probably thinks I'm alone. If we both go marching to the door we lose an element of surprise." The thudding sounded on the door again, more insistent this time. "Hide. Then at least if they try and attack me, we have a plan B." Reluctantly he nodded and settled for hiding behind a bookcase as I headed for the door. "Who is it?" I called out, hand hovering by the handle.  
"The Pizza guy. WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK IT IS?" The grouchy voice of Ella yelled through the wood. "Oh my god you nearly gave me a heart attack!" I practically screamed as I opened the door, only to be almost tackled to the ground as Ella's way of a 'hi, where have you been hug?' She started to speak and ask questions but I abruptly cut her off, worried about her reaction when Loki would suddenly appear from behind the book case. "Ok, Ella, you have to promise me not to freak out on me because I have a lot of explain to do about-" As inappropriately timed as usual, Loki stepped out into view and started to ask what was going on, but he never got to finish his sentence. One look at him and that was it, all hell broke loose.

"ELLA! ELLA NO!" She made a ferocious break for him, a move that I think stunned even Loki, but I was quicker. Getting my arms under hers and around her middle and forcing her backwards. I had never realised how strong I was until now, but I guess I had no reason to know. My job didn't exactly require brute strength. Shoving her backwards against the wall seemed to stop her from trying to attack Loki, but certainly didn't stop her from screaming her head off. "WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE? SOPHIE! HE'S IN YOUR HOUSE! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING?"  
"ELLA! Calm down!" She wasn't paying attention.  
"DONT YOU DARE TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! YOU REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED! I THOUGHT YOU-"  
"ELLA SHUT UP AND LET ME EXPLAIN FOR GOD'S SAKE!"  
"YOU KNOW FULL WELL WHY I AM NOT SHUTTING UP AND I WILL NOT-"  
"ELLA!"  
"LISTEN TO ANYTHING-"  
"OMG! ELLA-"  
"HAVE YOU GOT ANY IDEA-"  
"AGRHHHH! POTATO!" I screamed as loud as I possibly could. My outburst shocked her into silence and she had to take a moment. "...what?"  
"Potato." I repeated quieter, trying to catch my breath.  
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"  
"Nothing...but it shut you up didn't it?" She smiled ever so slightly at my logic.  
"Now before you start screaming again and try to maul my guest..." I glanced back over my shoulder at Loki, who was still standing there with an expression on his face as if to say 'what the...?' "Why don't you calm down, and let me explain what the hell is going on..." She looked me in the eye before turning her attention back to Loki. "Not until I smash his head into a wall, pluck his eyes out with a spoon and shove them down his throat. Twice." She jolted, trying to make a move to go at him again but I effortlessly pushed her back again. "Nuh uh. Not right now, Ella. You have to let me explain..."  
"But-"  
"Would it help if I told you he was locked in a cell and brutally tortured for a considerable amount of time?" She paused, mulling that over.  
"Slightly..."  
"Wow. Are all your friends as psycho as this one?" Loki moaned.  
"Shut up." We barked back in unison.  
"Now...I'm gonna let you up now, and you've got to swear not to go for him and let me explain...ok?" After a few moments, she reluctantly nodded and I eased up, letting her stand alone.  
"Can I go for him after you've explained it?"  
"...if you still want to. Which is unlikely." I rolled my eyes as she appeared satisfied with my answer.  
"Hey! Don't I get a say in whether I get attacked or not?" Loki whined, leaning on the sofa with his right hand. The pain was coming back, I could see It in his eyes despite his best efforts to conceal it. I didn't say anything though. "Of course not. Did you get a say last time someone smashed your face in like a rag doll?" His expression turned stone cold as he fixed me with a steely glare. I shivered. "Not funny." He almost growled, it was rather frightening.  
"ANYWAY!" Ella cut in, a move I was grateful for. "Explanation?"  
"Yes. Sit." I indicated for her to take a seat on the couch whilst walking towards/past Loki. I hooked my arm round his and half-dragged him towards my bedroom, all the while receiving exceptionally confused looks from Ella. Once we were inside, I shut the door and put my back to it as he turned to face me. "What was that?" He hissed under his breath.  
"My heartbroken best friend, bent on throttling you to death!" I hissed back. "What do you expect? You killed her fiancé." I glared at him as memories of the state she was in came to the forefront.  
"What?" His eyes widened at the realisation that not only was she peeved at him, but I also was too. "Yes. So if you could do us both a favour and just stay out of our way for a while, that'd be great."  
"But...but...how-"  
"Just stay in here and don't touch my stuff. There's painkillers in the draw." I exited the room without hesitation, not bothering to check his reaction.  
"What was that about?" Ella asked, suspicious, a I headed for the kitchen.  
"We were talking." I supplied.  
"About what?"  
"Stuff."  
"What stuff?"  
"Stuff that he should keep his nose out of."  
"You told him to pee off and leave us alone didn't you?" I paused my hunt in the fridge to look her in the eye, before bluntly replying. "Pretty much."  
"What are you doing?" She then asked. God she was being annoying today.  
"Attempting to put up with you."  
"Hey! I'm not that bad!" Once again, I lifted my head up out of the fridge and fixed her with a look that said, 'you wanna bet?' "Well anyway..." She continued. "What are you doing? Seriously."  
"Getting you a drink. A strong one."  
"Alcohol?" She squeaked, surprised.  
"Yeah. You'll need it after I finish explaining all this to you.  
"Oh god."

"Wait...so you're telling me that you're some kinda...Tesseract powered, super-strong genius...who is being hunted by HYDRA, and that you can go back to Stark's 'cause there's a mole?"  
"Yep." In all honesty, she had taken this surprisingly well...apart from the parts involving Loki, that is. "Gosh. Wow. You're right. I really needed this." She indicated her shot glass before she knocked it back. "And now he...is staying here, because you saved his ass?" She commented, very unimpressed with that last part. "Yeah. I felt responsible!" I admitted.  
"You know what you're problem is..." She started. Oh dear, where was this going exactly? "You're too nice." Well that wasn't so bad. "See, as a New Yorker, I just would've let him die, and the fact I hate the ground he stands on...but you!" Tapping my chest strongly. "You British...british...nice person...just had to go JUMP out of a window to save him, didn't you? Wow, Sophie, wow." Ella was rarely this sarcastic. Only when she was angry, extremely unimpressed or drunk. I shrugged. I didn't regret what I did, and she had to respect that. "Hey ell..." Feeling the need to change the subject, I started talking about food. "Can you do me a favour...please...?  
"What...?" She asked cautiously.  
"Can you go get us some KFC...I've run out of food...heh." She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Ugh. Fine." Yes! Result! KFC was on its way! "Just look out for you know who, ok? Be careful." I warned. She rolled her eyes as she headed out, calling back.  
"Yep! Don't worry! I'll make sure to look out for Lord Voldemort in case he tries to mug me for my KFC!" I could only laugh at that.

_Loki  
_

I lay on the mortals bed, only just able to hear their conversation. I only ever caught a few words per sentence, but it was enough to get the general gist. They were still scared of me. Despite everything, there was still a little part of them that was just fearful. It wasn't as easy to pick out in Sophie as it was with her weird friend, but it was still there. I sighed and let my eyes closed as I rested my head on the pillow. Oh the joys. The painkiller did help ease the pain, but only slightly. I let my thoughts drift off into a dreamless sleep, comfortable but alone.

I was aware of being woken as the bedroom door creaked open. Deciphering immediately who it was, I decided to pretend to still be sleeping, to see what her reaction would be. The faint sound of footsteps echoed around the room, making them seem much louder than they should have. I sensed her leaning over me slightly, seeing if I was awake, but then she sat down on the edge of the bed beside my legs. She rested a hand on my chest and tapped ever so slightly, as if to slowly bring me back around again from my slumber. "Hey..." She whispered, her voice soft like velvet.  
"What?" I responded quietly, smiling, but not opening my eyes.  
"Ella's gone to get us some KFC." She continued to whisper. I opened my eyes to see her looking at the wall on the opposite side of the room. She looked upset...or scared. I heaved myself up, propping up my body with one arm and using the other to wrap round her shoulder. "What's wrong?" She sighed.  
"Life. The world. The universe." Her frown turned into a half-hearted smile as she turned to look at me. I was unsure how to respond. I was never really very good at...feelings. "It's ok. You'll get through it." Gosh, that sounded much better in my head. It came out harsh and careless, not exactly the way I wanted to come across. She smirked, seeing my distress. "I think you should leave the comforting pep talks to people who have experience, ok?"  
"I...hey. At least I tried!" I defended, helplessly. She was right, and she knew it. I couldn't help but smile back at her when she turned her gaze on me. There were only a handful of people who ever smiled at me and meant it, cared, and even fewer to whom I returned the favour. But surprisingly, I wasn't ashamed to admit Sophie was among them. I asked a question I had been meaning to ask for a while, ever since we arrived in fact. "Why did you save me? What you did was very dangerous, what was the point...?" My voice was quiet and resigned as I focused my attention on a crease in the duvet as opposed to making eye contact. A few tantalisingly long seconds ticked by before she replied, her voice barely a whisper. "...because you were worth saving..." She started to turn to leave so I made a concealed effort to persuade her to stay. "You don't have to go..." She paused and looked back at me. I tried a smile, but it was half-hearted and weak. Weak. I needed to find a better word to describe that, because weak I am not. Sophie seemed to come to a decision, because she had a look of determination on her face for a brief moment. She got up and strolled around the base of the bed and up the other side. I watched her intently, seeing every movement of her delicate frame. Her smooth long legs, thin but strong. Lean, dainty arms which swung freely at her sides. Her delicious curves...and moving on. This was so unlike me! Subtly, I shook my head clearing my mind of the thought. Thankfully, she didn't appear to notice. I couldn't believe a puny mortal had reduced me to this. Was she aware of the effect she was having? Maybe it's deliberate...to get me to lower my guard...No, she's too innocent for that. But then again, I guess no one's really, truly innocent. She sat down beside me, swinging her legs up onto the mattress so she could lay alongside me. "I always loved this bed. The mattress is so soft! It's a nightmare getting out of it in the morning." She thought aloud, folding her arms behind her head on the pillow. I couldn't help but smile. She was so at ease with me here, at her home, in her bedroom in fact! At least she looked at ease, whether it was true or not was a different matter. "I have to agree with you on that one, it is rather comfortable."  
"Finally!" She gasped, in mock shock. "We agree on something! It's a miracle!" She giggled. I rolled my eyes at her child play, feigning annoyance. She let out a sigh as despairing eyes fixed on the ceiling. I propped myself up on my elbow so I could see her, concerned. "What's the matter?" She tilted her head slightly, catching my eyes in her gaze. It took a few moments for the right words to come to her. "This whole thing with HYDRA, I'm not too bothered about, in all honesty. We'll beat 'em in the end, like we always do but..." She tore her gaze away again and fixed it on the ceiling again, deep in thought. "But...?" I prompted. "But...I just have so many unanswered questions! Why did I volunteer? Why can't I remember anything? What did they do to me?" She paused, as I could see her eyes filling with water, threatening to spill over. "...What did I leave behind...?"  
"What do you mean?" I asked softly.  
"When I talked about my mother, how we used to make those dragons..."  
"Yes...?"  
"...I can't even remember what she looks like...and that's not a nice feeling." A single tear slid down her face but she didn't bother to wipe it away. I did. "Hey..." I started, attempting to comfort. "There is a way we could try to see what happened...if you'd be willing to..."  
"How?" She perked up almost instantly, propping herself up so she was level with me. I sat up, crossing my legs and she followed suit. "I could...enter your mind...see what's left. Hopefully, the memories of what happened will still be in there...just hidden." I could visibly see she wasn't too thrilled with the idea of me rummaging through her mind, and in all honestly if I was presented with the same opportunity, I would be the same. It all came down to a matter of trust in the end. I gently cupped her face in my hand, tilting her head to look me in the eyes. "Do you trust me?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_Sophie_

All the different possibilities of what Loki was asking of me furiously ran through my mind. I didn't know what to do! Well, what could you do when a demi-god was asking if you wanted him to look through your head? It was hardly a decision one was faced with every day. "I…er…I-." The door bell sounded and I breathed a faint sigh of relief. Loki let go of my chin, tearing his gaze from mine and gracefully getting up from the bed. My attempt of getting off the bed wasn't half as graceful as his, but I got off all the same. It wasn't fair! How come he got all the gracefulness? Since when was the God of Mischief ever going to need to be graceful? We were only a few paces from the main door when I stopped as a realisation dawned on me. "Wait!" I sharply whispered.  
"…What?" Loki hesitated.  
"I don't have a door bell…"

Ella strolled down the street like the conversation she had just had, never actually happened. She had to act like that, or else risk endangering her best friend. It's not like she hadn't done it before, her training had ensured she knew every trick in the book. She calmly entered the KFC on the corner, which was surprisingly empty for this time of night on a Saturday. 7:00. Usually, the take away would be teaming with people by now, but alas, only a few people were situated in the corner. She thought nothing of her fellow customers as she walked to the counter, smiling at the waitress. "What can I get you?" The lady chimed, for what must've been the millionth time today.  
"Um…1 family size bucket…" She thought to the two others she would be feeding. "Actually, can you make that 2, please? 3 Boneless Banquets…um…2 Fanta's and a Pepsi please! Um…" The customers in the corner were staring at her as if she just insulted them directly. On instinct, her hand discreetly slid to her pocket, where her gun holster was cleverly concealed. "And side order…?" The waitress encouraged.  
"Um…ah…corn on the cob for all please." Ella was keeping one eye on the customers as she placed another order. The customers were wearing black outfits, but they were too hunched over around a table to get a proper look. A few long, stressful moments ticked by as Ella anticipated her meals. Eventually, the waitress placed the food on the counter and Ella, unnerved by the people in the corner, chucked a $20 bill on the counter, grabbed the food and practically ran out of the door again, throwing over her shoulder. "Keep the change!" Just as she left. Her journey back to Sophie's apartment was rushed and panicked. There was something about those people in the restaurant that unnerved even her, even after all her specialist training. There was just…something about those men. Something not entirely…human.

She was just at the base of the apartment building when she saw the buzzer keypad looked like it'd been punched and the door kicked down. With a startled yelp, she dashed forward, dropping the food on the floor. A hand, from nowhere, came over a mouth just as she crossed the threshold as the mystery people hustled her towards a van. She didn't go without a fight though. She thrashed and screamed and fought, but she was no match for them. Whoever these people were, they were exceptionally strong. They chucked her in the back of the van, but she knocked her head on the side, rendering her unconscious. This was not good. Not good at all.

Director Fury had taken Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton back to the Heli-carrier for specialist treatment. It's not that he doubted the staff at Stark Industries' skills; it was just the Director's Trust issues. Thor and Stark were standing in the Stark Suite along with Pepper, discussing their plan of 'not really sure if we should actually take' action. "We must find my brother." Thor had stated for the hundredth time that afternoon. "He can't be trusted, not here."  
"No offence, but I'm more worried about Sophie! She could be made into a psychotic, uncontrollable zombie, bent on destroying New York!" Pepper floundered exasperated.  
"What is a…'somby?"  
"Never mind, big fella. Never mind…" Stark shook her head, patting Thor's arm. He thought for a moment. "What I'm worried about is Fury's reaction. He would never just move everything he was involved with to a completely different location unless there was something he wasn't telling us, and the fact that it involves my lead scientist, doesn't exactly give me much confidence right now."  
"Can't you find him? You have all this…this…" Thor fumbled around for a few seconds before pointing at a bit of high-tech kit in the corner. "That! Can't you just go to him and complain?"  
"It's not that simple." Pepper interrupted. "He's not stupid. He'll only let you find him if he wants to be found."  
"He is _The Spy. _Even his secrets have secrets." Stark explained.  
"So what do we do?" Thor asked, aggravated at the lack of action.  
"We wait."

"What do we do?" I panicked. "'Cause that's DEFINITLEY not Ella!" My voice was a whisper, stressed about who it could be outside the door. Loki placed his hand on my shoulder, gently shaking me out of my stressing. "Stop. Panicking. Nothing good ever comes from panicking."  
I nodded, breathing shakily, getting myself under control. Suddenly, there was a horrifying bang and the sound of splintering wood, and before I knew it, a strong hand came over my mouth as my body was pulled backwards onto a firm chest. My hands flew up to grab the hand around my mouth which was preventing me from making any sound whatsoever, but it didn't budge. I squirmed under the grasp of the arm pinning my waist backwards and the hand which clasped my face. To make matters worse, I looked down at myself to see…nothing! My body had completely vanished! My eyes widened in utter horror! If I was able to scream, I would have. "Shhh! I know it's a strange feeling, but if they can't see you, they can't get to you! Just calm down and relax. You'll be safe, I'm here."  
Armed soldiers, all in black, flooded in pointing guns at all corners of the room. "THIS IS S.H.I.E.L.D! COME OUT! WE ARE ARMED!" I breathed a sigh of relief, or as much as I could given my current situation. I tried to push myself forward, indicating I was more or less ok with these guys, but Loki seemed to pull me closer. "Don't. You still don't know what they want." I rolled my eyes and moaned, signifying I wasn't backing down from this one. The stress of the door incident brought the Tesseract Energy to the surface, so I used it. I elbowed him in the ribs, forcing him to let me go. "Hey! S.H.I.E.L.D! Have you come from Stark?" I never got an answer. Once again, I felt a sharp pain in my rib as I realised I had been shot with a Tranquiliser Dart. "NO!" I heard a startled outcry from behind me as I murmured. "Not again…" I felt my now numb and limp body falling forward, again.

My head felt like it weighed a ton as heavy eyelids forced their way open. A weak arm came to my forehead, trying to ease the pain of the chronic headache I had. "Good morning, sleepy." A voice rang out. Slowly, I heaved myself upwards, which was an unnaturally difficult task in my current state, to see a smirking Loki behind glass. It appeared he was in a prison…wait, no. He wasn't concealed in glass, I was! I snapped up, frantically looking around. This wasn't Stark Tower, because there was no way Stark would need a prison. A circular glass cage surrounded me, broken up by a pillar every so often. The only place I'd ever seen a cell of this design before was…no. It couldn't be! "This is the Detention Centre!" I weakly cried out.  
"Yes. It appears you've become rather…unpopular, in your absence." Loki remarked, admiring the outside of the cell. I shook my head in my hands. "Please. Just tell me this is a horrible nightmare and none of this is real, and I'm not in the Detention Centre in the Heli-Carrier and I'm not running from HYDRA and I've actually just fallen asleep in my lab. Please!" I begged.  
"Well, there is a good point to all this…" Loki started quietly, still smirking.  
"Oh? And what is that?" I snapped unimpressed.  
"_I'm _not the one in the prison cell." He jeered. I glared at him through the glass, willing it to melt allowing me to have a way out. "I was gonna say, it's rather unnerving to see oneself inside a cell with you outside. I have to say I'm actually rather er…concerned." He opened his arms, raising his eyebrows. "I told you not to reveal yourself to S.H.I.E.L.D. But no, you had to go and elbow me in the ribs so you could go and get shot!"  
"…do you seriously have a grudge about me hitting you?" I stifled a laugh. "I thought you were supposed to be tough? No. You're just a big…_softy._" I couldn't hold it back this time, I just had to laugh. The glare he gave me just made me laugh harder! Seeing him move backwards towards the control panel made me fall silent, however. "You wouldn't…" Would he? He hovered over the button, before grinning again and dropping his hands. "No. This." He pointed between himself and the cell. "Is too funny to pass up."  
"Hey! Not fair! You could let me out at the touch of a single button! No fair." I whined.  
"Actually, the locked the control panel, so even if I wanted to open the door…or send you plummeting 30,000 feet…I couldn't." My look of utter terror at his mentioning of him making me plummet 30,000 feet to my death, just made his grin wider. Finally feeling the pain and numbness subside, I stood up from my cross-legged position on the floor and walked to the door, finally becoming eye-level with him. "Why. Am I here." I sighed, raising my arms slightly and dropping them again in a half-shrug. "The man with the eye-patch wanted you here for…protection."  
"DIRECTOR FURY DID THIS?!" I squeaked. "What the hell!"  
"Whoa girl. Calm down! I didn't make this decision! Take it out on a human, not me." I shook my head, turning away. The room was rather large for a cell, but I guess it fitted its purpose for containing Hulk when necessary. "Geez. What did you do in here when you got locked up? It's so dull. I probably would've triggered the drop just for something to do! You must be some sort of self-control expert!" I mused, walking back to the centre of the prison. I heard Loki chuckle from behind me. "In all fairness, I wasn't actually in there that long."  
"Meh. Guess so." I shrugged. Turning back to face the door, I noticed a subtle panel on one of the pillars. My lips curved up in a smile as I rushed forward, kneeling down to be level with it. I ran my fingernails along the edges, trying to get a little part to give way, letting me in. "What are you doing?"  
"Trying to get out! Duh!" I rolled my eyes. Wasn't it obvious? Who would want to be stuck in here? "YES!" I cried out when the panel completely gave away, revealing an intricate circuit board. Tentatively, I reached in, moving wires out of the way searching for the one I needed. I had been taught how to navigate through these sort of circuits, how to unlock doors by…by…I couldn't remember. That must've been one of my hidden memories. Dammit. I thought back to Loki's offer, assuming it still stood. He had given me the chance to regain all my lost thoughts, feelings; I shouldn't be having doubts about it, right? But, that would also mean letting him in to my mind, allowing him access to everything. I wasn't sure I was ready for that…not yet. Focusing back on the task at hand, I weaselled my way through to the back, green wire…to find that it had been cut in half. "What?" I asked out loud, confused. If that one was cut, then the door should be open! There was a small note in the corner which read:

_Nice try. We rigged the circuit so you couldn't get out. Soz. _

_Tony :)  
_

"OH MY GOD! THAT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY!" I almost yelled, shoving the panel aside. There was nothing I could do. I collapsed down on the floor, defeated. "I told you not to reveal yourself to S.H.I.E.L.D." Loki chuckled.  
"Shut up, Loki, shut up."

"LET ME OUT!" She screamed, rattling the handcuffs which hung above her head, chained to the wall. "THERE IS NO POINT ME BEING HERE! JUST LET ME GO ALREADY!"  
"Oh, be quiet already. You're insolent screams are distracting me." The strange man barked back, coldly. The man was sitting at a desk just outside the door, in front of countless other sealed doors, all with others chained inside. She couldn't see what he was doing, but she knew it wasn't good. Just then, he turned around and slowly walked to the cage door. He had a small square box lying in this palm. "What the hell is that?" She spat, covering up her fear with furious snaps.  
"This, could either be your downfall…or your saviour." He slowly coaxed open the lid, revealing a dainty syringe, filled with a scarlet liquid. "Is that blood?" She enquired on instinct, horrified.  
"No, foolish girl. This!" He held it up to the light proudly, studying it. "Is the results of all our fantastic research! This! Is the key to limitless power…more or less." She stared at him if she was insane.  
"Dammit dude! You need help! Seriously! 'Cause man you have some issues." He just smirked, not taking his eyes of the syringe. "I believe that's what your friend said too…"  
"Sophie?!" She squeaked. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HER?!" She demanded, yelling ferociously.  
"Oh, nothing." He shrugged, finally looking back at her. "She escaped before we had a chance to. She jumped out of a window, much to our dismay, to save the man…what was his name…?"  
"Loki?" She finished, dumbfounded.  
"Yes! That was it! Loki! Now, down to business. We ne—"  
"Why am I here." She interrupted.  
"I was just getting to that, no need to interrupt." He reprimanded. "As I was saying, you're here as bait. We don't _actually_ need you, as such. But while you're here, we figured we might as well take use of new resources."  
"You're turning me into a lab rat? For what? To coax…S.H.I.E.L.D here?"  
"No…well, not quite. We need Sophie."  
"What for!?" Ella was panicking now. The thought of them using her best friend terrified her in incomprehensible ways. "For the revolution, the revolution of HYDRA." He reached through the bar and jabbed the needle into her forearm. Ella let out a blood curdling shriek. It felt like her blood had been replaced with fire, burning and rippling. The pain was excruciating. The man seemed unfazed as he yanked the syringe out again, cleaning it with a wet wipe before placing it back in the box. A few agonizing minutes of pain, cringes and tears before she finally settled again. She still had her conscious intact…just. The edges of her memories were becoming hazy, ever so slightly. It was almost as if somebody was trying to pull her mind out and shove something else in its place, but she was too strong and stubborn to let that happen. "What…" She was gasping as she found the right words. "Did you…do to…me?"  
"I've given your friend…motivation." He replied, utterly calm about the whole situation.  
"For…what?" Ella breathed deeply.  
"To come back to work."

"Bored…bored…bored…bored…bored…" I droned for about the millionth time in the last hour.  
"Oh please…just, be quiet. For a minute. Please." Loki whined, leaning with his back to the glass door, legs outstretched. He was equally as bored, but I think he was just getting tired of me repeating the word 'bored'. I was lying on my back staring at the white ceiling, with nothing to do. Nobody had come down for ages, not since a soldier came and gave me a bowl of food, I mean slop, but the guy refused to speak to me. Rude. I had hastily pushed away the…sustenance, so it now lay on the side, untouched. "Ugh. I just want something to DO! Like a pack of cards or something…or a magazine…or a phone."  
"What will you do with a pack of cards? I don't understand." Loki asked, confused. "Are you going to do tricks or something?"  
"No silly! Card games! Poker, Black Jack, Solitaire, ever heard of them?"  
"Nope." He replied bluntly, shaking his head.  
"Loki…" I started, as an intriguing thought came to my head. I sat up, propping my body on my right arm to face him.  
"Yes…?"  
"Why are you still here?"  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Why are you still here? I mean, you could just get up and leave anytime, go see what's happening…but you chose to stay."  
"Do you want me to leave?" He enquired suspiciously, turning to face me.  
"NO! I mean…no. I never said that." I hurriedly covered up, miserably.  
"After everything I did for you, you want me to leave! You insult me!" He dramatically put his hand to his heart, pretending that I hurt him seriously. I stared at him blankly. "Hey! I was the one who jumped out of the window to stop you becoming a crippled mess in the street!" He paused for a moment, dropping the act ever so briefly, before returning to his dramatic acting skills. He shrugged, nonchalantly. "So? Anyone could do that…" My jaw fell open, not actually believing he actually said that. "I hate you." I glared, without a glint of humour. "Dude, that was low." He was about to respond when the door suddenly opened and Director Fury, Stark and Thor strolled in. "Oh Hi strangers! Nice to meet you! Close the door on your way out!" I chimed sarcastically.  
"Sophie, you have to understand—" Stark started.  
"You did for my own protection." I finished, interrupting him. "I was just too dangerous to be out in public, oh wait! My mistake, I mean, I was too dangerous to be left in my own home—"  
"Sophie, wait!"  
"SO! You just HAD to send A BUNCH OF IDIOTS WITH GUNS TO TRANQ ME! WHAT THE HELL, TONY? WHAT THE HELL? YOU COULD'VE JUST CALLED, YOU KNOW! I WOULD'VE JUST IDLY COME ALONG AND NONE OF THIS, WOULD'VE BEEN NECESSARY! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO SEND A BLOODY HIT SQUAD TO SHOOT AT ME!" I yelled, now standing. No one spoke as I tried to compose myself, taking fast, deep breaths. Loki let out a high pitched whistle, which was swiftly silenced by a forceful punch to the arm from his brother. "…Have you finished?" Stark finally asked after I was calm…er.  
"For the moment." I protested folding my arms.  
"Are you going to let us explain now?" Director Fury interjected.  
"YOU! SHUT THE F-!"  
"SOPHIE!" Tony yelled, horrified.  
"up…" I finished. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't appreciate be unnecessarily shot!" Tony was about to yell something back, but Fury stopped him. "No, she's right. That was a little unnecessary."  
"Give the man a medal." I commented bluntly.  
"The one known as Ella, has gone missing." Thor butted in, directly, getting to the point.  
"WHAT!?" I practically yelled.  
"That's why we came…" Tony started sheepishly. "We think she might've been taken…"  
"BY!?"  
"HYDRA…" I furiously ran my hands through my hair, walking forward slightly, stopping myself from screaming. "Tell me you've also come to let me out. Tell me you're gonna let me out, for heaven's sake." My breathing was shaky as I panicked about HYDRA getting their grubby hands on my best friend. "Actually, we've come to get Loki. His skills are needed more than yours." Thor answered, blunt as ever, before turning to the others. "We really must go."  
"You have got to be kidding me." Loki looked as surprised as I was. He had remained silent thus far but after this revelation, there was no way he was skipping out on this one. "I'm sorry!? Why do you need me? What have I got to do with this?" He protested.  
"We need you to-." Seeing my distress, Thor directed his brother towards the door to continue what he was saying. With one sorrowful, helpless glance over his shoulder, Loki exited, the door locking behind him. "Where is she Tony." I demanded.  
"We don't know…" He looked nervous. That was never a good sign. Ever.  
"But he was wrong though, right? You are gonna let me out, to help?" I pleaded desperately.  
"We can't...we can't risk them getting to you again. We're not taking any chances this time!"  
"So you're just gonna leave her there with them?!" I was absolute horrified  
"No...not exactly. The results could be catastrophic if you end up with HYDRA, so we're not going to take any chances whatsoever." Wait, what? Catastrophic? What on earth was that supposed to mean? "I'm sorry, what? Why would it be catastrophic?" Fury and Stark exchanged looks.  
"Sophie, I'm sorry, we have no choice. Some think that she's being used as bait, that you'll go and rescue her and they'll grab you then, others have speculated negotiations with them, but there has been a unanimous vote against any negotiation attempts." They began to turn to leave.  
"Wait! You can't just leave me like this! Bait?! Negotiations? Under whose authority?! We can't just leave her!" Reluctantly, Fury turned back and told me information that I really did not want to hear."The council's. They have said...that no rescue efforts are to be made at this moment, and under no circumstances are you to be put in a position where HYDRA could potentially get to you. I'm sorry."  
"So you're just going to leave her?!" I bit back a yell, tears burning my eyes. They turned and left without another word, leaving me with sorrowful looks. But pity was not what I wanted. I wanted Ella back! "NO! YOU CAN'T! DON'T YOU DARE! LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT RIGHT NOW! YOU HAVE TO LET ME HELP HER! NO!" I screeched, banging on the glass ferociously. I didn't care if it triggered the drop! Tears came rushing forward as they left, leaving me hitting the glass like a mad-woman in my feeble escapes to get out. "NOOOO!" I yelled, finally accepting that none of this was helping. The panel from earlier was still lying on the floor, so I picked it up and smashed it against the wall in a fit of rage. It fractured and split, but the glass still didn't have the faintest scratch at all. Still fuming, I scanned the cell for something else to smash and my eyes fell on the the circuit board I was trying to hack earlier. With vain hope that it would be in any way helpful, I kicked it as hard as I could. Sparks flew as my foot collided with it, and I felt my anger subside just a little, happy about the minor damage that I'd caused. But underneath it all, I heard a small click...like a door unlocking.

"Brother! What is this about? Why did you lie to her?" Loki confronted Thor in the corridor.  
"You have to stay away from her, Loki. Any person she seems to be attached to in any way, HYDRA will try and use! You have to let her go!" Loki was shaking his head and his brother implored him. "Attached? She is as attached to me as she would be to a piece of rock." Thor wasn't buying it.  
"Loki, she jumped out of a window for you." He could hardly deny that. "Besides, if you show any more signs of affections for her, HYDRA will still try to use you..."  
"More? I'm sorry, but when have you seen me show ANY signs of affection for the girl before?"  
"Do you really want me to answer that?" The sound of yelling, from a female voice, drifted down the corridor. "Sophie..." Loki started to move away from Thor, but his brother got in his way.  
"Loki, you can't!" But he didn't stop moving. Thor had to shove Loki against a wall to finally get him to halt. "Loki! For her! If not for anything else! Just...leave her be..."  
"Why?! What difference does it make if I see her?"  
"Loki! Please, it will hurt more if you stay in contact with this girl! They said..."  
"They said?" Loki encouraged, aggravated.  
"She may not...survive this ordeal...well, survive as she was at least."  
"...I don't understand."  
"I'm not certain of all the...science...but from what I gathered, they think that even if they do manage to save her, they might not be able to save who she once was, her memories, emotions. She won't remember you, Loki, she'll look at you as a stranger, unrecognisable. They're worried that what they did to her before might happen again."  
"Why? How? They're hardly going to be able to get to her from in here…" Loki was showing hints of sadness at the thought of losing Sophie, but naturally Thor overlooked them. "Better be safe than sorry…" He said quietly. Loki was having none of it.  
"So you're just going to let them lock her up like a criminal? For what? For something that 'may or may not' ACTUALLY happen? It's not right!"  
"Oh and you're all about doing the right thing, aren't you?" Thor shot back.  
"That's not the point!" He started to head down the corridor again, now furious.  
"Loki! Stop! You can't!" Thor called after him.  
"Watch me!"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I wasn't wasting any time. The longer I was in this cell, the more less likely my chances of saving Ella were. I ran to the glass, jamming my fingers in the edge of the door. It gave only slightly, but that was all I needed. Using all my strength I yanked it open, shoving it aside. Feeling much better now I was out, I lurched forward hastily, worrying that it will lock again. I ran to the exit, which was still locked closed. I brushed past the panel, which strangely activated as I jolted past it. So as well as being super strong, the Tesseract Energy activates anything electronic! Great. I slammed my fists against the door, frantically searching for some crevice I could use to break it open. Footsteps, and hurried ones at that, could be heard from just down the hallway. I ducked to the side, flattening against the wall next to it. A few moments ticked by before the sound of the door unlocking could be heard. Whoever was coming in was bound to go for me if they saw I'd escaped, so I braced myself. I took a deep breath, unintentionally holding it whilst the door slid open. I saw the familiar silhouette of a figure just step into the room and I lunged. I spun dragging them in, making sure the door was still left open. My aim was to pirouette, grab the intruder and pin them to the other wall and depending on who it was, dispose of them. No, I don't mean kill, just render unconscious...for a while. But that wasn't exactly what happened. Whoever it was, side-stepped my attack and caught me mid-way, grabbing my arms and holding them behind me whilst pinning, stomach first, against the opposite wall. "Come now Sophie, you have to be quicker than that."

"Oh geez! Well how was I supposed to know it was you? Have you Asgardians ever heard of knocking? I mean seriously!?" I tried a laugh, but it was kinda difficult when half your face was pressed up against a wall. "Can you let me up now?" Loki let me up almost instantaneously.

"So you got out then?" He observed.

"Apparently." I bluntly muttered, poking my head out the door. "What made you come back?" He shrugged, not really bothered. I glanced over my shoulder back at him and squinted for a moment. "You're lying. What did they say to you?" I turned around to face him defiantly. I couldn't tell if he was lying or not, but it was a good way to see if he was. He rolled his eyes and sighed, folding his arms. "They were going to keep you here, alone, locked up and let your friend go. They wanted nobody to come into contact with you, including me." I stumbled back a step, alarmed...and hurt. I trusted them, and they'd just betrayed all of that. These last few days everything has fallen apart. My life, my perspective of life, and the people I knew! Every bit! Gone! I didn't know who to trust anymore, if anyone! "So why did you come back?" My voice was almost a growl as I struggled to contain the anger inside. "Because I didn't agree. Hey, are you alright?" He took a concerned step closer, tentatively holding out a hand. "Don't come near me." I snapped back. He halted, lowering his arm to his side. "What did I do now?"

"Nothing...sorry." I murmured, rubbing my face. "I'm hungry, tired, sore, betrayed and I'm about to smash something. So, it's not your fault unless you want to keep me in there." I pointed at the cell, taking a nervous glance out of the door, double checking anyone was there. Strangely, there wasn't. Not a soul. "Weird..." I thought aloud, dropping our conversation. I stepped out into the corridor, looking both ways. "There's no one here. There are always people coming up and down here." Suddenly, a voice over spoke out through the speakers. Just two words, but they chilled me right to the core. "Hail Hydra."

"No..." I whispered as panic set in. "No...No! No! NO! NO!" My voice was getting louder and louder with each word as I started to have a breakdown. "Not here! Why here? They...they can't!"

"Sophie!" Hands came around my shoulders as I was turned to face Loki again. He cupped my chin, smiling slightly. "Just, calm. We can go check it out, ok? Until then, if you freak-out on me I'm chucking you off this thing." I laughed slightly, but then the realisation struck me that I couldn't actually tell if he was joking or not. Heh, moving on... "Ok...but we can't just go charging in there expecting to just save the day!" He dropped his hand and looked up and down the walkway.

"Agreed. Is there another way to get to the control centre other than through this walkway?"

"I think so...this way!" I thought for a moment before setting off down the hallway at a light jog, constantly checking around me. We'd just rounded the corner when we came faced with two guards. We froze, unsure if they were S.H.I.E.L.D or HYDRA. "Um..." I think they began to reach for their guns, but they never got that far because suddenly one at a time they fell forward, forcing me to leap backwards, squealing. I looked up to see Loki standing behind them in full armour, helmet and all, with a now bloody sceptre. "WHAT WAS THAT FOR?" I screeched, looking between them and him, deeply sickened. He rolled his eyes and grabbed my wrist, half-dragging me as we began to walk again. "We haven't got time for this! Just show me where we need to go." I wriggled out of his grasp, nervously tending to my wrist as we hurried along. We didn't encounter anymore guards, but that was only because I'd made a conceited effort to re-direct us every time I caught sight of one. I kept thinking about those dead guards as we ran, killed mercilessly without a second glance by the man I was now running with! One particular thought kept churning around in my head though: that could've been me.

_I was aware of what was happening around me, but only just. It felt like…like…no. It didn't feel like anything, because it was like nothing, I doubt, anyone had experienced before. My body was numb, consciousness only just there. It was almost as if…my body was no longer mine, like it was now someone else's, but with my mind still inside. A marionette. That's all I was now, a marionette, with someone else pulling the strings. _

The side-door to the control centre was just in sight, just at the end of this hallway. The only problem was there were about 12 other guards standing in front of it. We ducked behind a wall wracking our brains for a way to get past. "You, mister, are not killing them." I stated, in a whisper, tapping his chest. "Not. This. Time." He half-smiled, but I was unsure if it was a grin or a sneer. "Why not? It'd be much quicker…" He pointed out.

"You're disgusting." I snapped. He gave me a look, but didn't say anything. A computer screen caught my eye. It wasn't S.H.I.E.L.D, I could see that from here, but the interesting thing was the wire connecting it to…whatever it was connected to, ran along the wall and rounded the corner just above my head. I grinned. "I have an idea."

_The Avengers were with us, chained or pinned in various places across the room. They'd smashed Tony's suit, and deprived him of any gadgets he may have on him; they'd tasered Thor so many times to keep him from smashing guards' faces, that I wasn't entirely sure if he was dead, or just unconscious. Dr Banner was handcuffed to one of the main frame pipes so if he turned into a 'ferocious green rage monster', he'd cut the power to the Heli-carrier and we'd all go down. He was barely keeping it under control. The strange man stood over them, triumphant. I had sworn there and then, that there was no way he was getting locked up in whatever hell-hole they decide to put him in, before I give him what for. They were waiting for the inevitable. Sophie. My best friend, to come charging through the door to the rescue, for HYDRA to just do what they did to me, to her…just a thousand times worse. _

"So, do you know what you have to do?" Loki nodded in response, with a sly grin.

"This will be fun…" Just then, he appeared to suddenly change into one of the guards. Despite my knowing that it was just an illusion, and it was still just Loki, I was still slightly wary. Unintentionally, I backed off just a little. I shook my head, taking just another glance at the doorway. "Ok. Go." He began to saunter down the corridor, and one by one the 12 guards looked up, apprehensively going for their weapons. "Hail Hydra." Loki, I mean the guard, no I mean Loki, no I mean…I'm so confused. Let's just leave it as Loki. _But it's not! Look! _My consciousness was screaming at me. Ignoring it, I focused on what I was supposed to be doing. Anyway, the guards relaxed slightly and saluted. He went over to the computer screen, studying it. "What's this supposed to do?"

"...Everyone was informed earlier at the meeting about what each of the monitors did…" One of them cautiously spoke up, once again triggering them to go for their weapons. Loki shrugged at them. "Oh, I wasn't paying much attention. Remind me." They exchanged nervous looks before another stepped forward and began to explain. Loki observed the walkie-talkies they each had fastened to their chests and his lip curved up in a smile. "…Each station controls the frequencies for the coms so we can talk undetected. This is our monitor, as you can see the frequency to our coms is different to the one belonging to S.H.I.E.L.D." He pointed out the two wave frequencies on the screen, shown in the form of two wiggly lines on moving about on the screen. "So…if someone was to, say, amplify the electricity of the monitor, causing the frequency to elevate to a level where the coms couldn't cope, what would happen?" The guard looked very confused.

"Well, the coms would malfunction, effectively turning them into a bunch of tasers, paralyzing all who are wearing them, who are also connected to this monitor…why?"

"Oh, just wondering." That was my cue! The Tesseract Energy never left the surface of my body, so now was the perfect opportunity to put it to good use. Whilst the guard was talking, I had subtly made an incision with a shard of glass I broke off earlier in the thick cable above my head. It had revealed 5-6 strands of thin wire; all bunched together, which lead directly to the monitor in question. I reached in and grabbed them all in my left hand, allowing the Tessearct Energy to amplify the power. Within seconds, sparks flew from the computer screen, and as predicted, the coms malfunctioned causing instant paralysis. The guards fell to the floor in a mess of frantic cries of shock. I ran towards Loki a smirk playing on my lips as his illusion faded. "See! No killing necessary." He shrugged. _He was impressed, I knew it. He was just too ashamed to admit it_. I smirked at my inner thought before returning to the task at hand. I stepped towards the door with an outstretched hand, but Loki came across me. "Don't even think about it." He warned, before turning towards the door himself. I huffed as he pulled down the door handle.

Our entrance was unnoticeable and silent – we hoped – nothing appeared to react, so we assumed we'd got in unseen. We were just by a set of stairs overlooking the control room, with metal bars making up a small balcony. Crouching down, we peered through the bars. My eyes widened in horror at seeing the avengers strewn across the place, beaten. The strange man was there, along with other HYDRA soldiers…but they didn't look human. None of them. They were larger, and more muscular than an average soldier, and their skin had a strange…red glow about it. It was terrifying. But perhaps the thing that petrified me the most, was the sight of Ella…standing among the soldiers. She didn't look as zombie-ish as the others, she wasn't as unresponsive, but still the sight terrified me. I would've cried out and charged down there unless Loki, realising what I may do, hadn't have pulled me backwards, covering my mouth. "Don't!" I didn't feel safe anymore. Who could I go to now? I was confused, hurt and very, very stressed. It could've been a combination of those things that made it happen, but none of my following actions were intentional. The Tesseract flared up, burning brighter than it ever had before. I shoved myself away from him, stumbling into the barriers. In that instant, a set of guards chose to barge through the doorway we'd just used, pointing an array of weapons at me. Instinctively, I shot out my hands to protect myself in-case they fired, but that was probably the worst possible thing I could've done. I wasn't actually sure of the details, but from what I saw, a blue light pulse was propelled forward from my hands knocking the lot of them backwards. Yay! However, as well as knocking them backwards, I also managed to propel Loki and I back over the barrier, landing with a crunch upon a bench of computer screens. Fantastic. With a groan I tried to force my body up, aware of the doo-doo I'd just gotten myself into. But I wasn't fast enough. Two guards marched towards me, dragging me off the bench of now shards of computer components, and flung me onto the floor near the centre of the room. Again, I attempted to heave myself up, this time just managing to stand. The strange man was standing casually ahead of me, with a look of pity on his face. "Sophie!" He began. "How nice to see you ag—"

"Shut your face." I barked, wiping the blood off my mouth and face with the back of my hands. "Rude." He remarked.

"Please." I retorted. "Shut your face, please." Out of the corner of my eye I noticed some of the avengers manage a feeble smile. "I'm asking the questions." I was not in the mood for a lecture about working for HYDRA, or how 'revolutionary' that sicko thought it was. "What the HELL did you do to her?" I spat, indicating Ella.

"Oh, simple really. After the Tesseract experiment failed, we settled for using the energy leftover from the Chitauri invasion. It had the same effects as the Tesseract did, just on a weaker level. On the bright side though, it was much easier to reproduce. Next question?" I blinked, that was not the reaction I expected. "Um…how did you get on the heli-carrier?"

"The soldiers were here already, we infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D years ago. We just used them to help smuggle us in. Next." He answered with a shrug. He seemed totally at ease with answering my questions. "Why did you need Ella in particular?"

"As bait to get you to come back to us. Talking of which, this leads me onto what I was going to say." It appeared I'd lost my right to keep talking.

"You have a choice to make, Miss Rosaleen." This didn't sound good. Adding to my fears, two guards came at my side and held me in place, still as freakish as ever. "You can either come back to work for us at HYDRA, and we'll remove the worst part of Ella's new…condition…"

"Which is what, exactly?" I enquired, panicking. She was staring at me blankly, but it was almost as if she wanted to react, wanted to do something but something…something was stopping her.

"Currently, all soldiers with that 'red tinge', are under my control. A mental link, very useful actually. If you come to work for us again, we'll remove it from her." I paused, bracing myself for the worst. "And if I don't?"

"We kill her, and all those in this room not belonging to HYDRA. Your former boss included."

_I was internally screaming at her to say no, to let them kill us, to find a way to stop them. Anything, as long as they didn't get to her! The man, he'd told me everything. Their plan, what they were going to do, what Sophie would be forced to do! I was petrified! But of course, being the girl I'd come to know and cherish as my friend, I could predict her response without a seconds hesitation. _

_Loki_

I'd warned her not to, not to react. We could've sorted something out, but no. She just had to go and do it didn't she?! I had to admit, her outburst of power was remarkably impressive, just inappropriately timed. I was now standing a few feet away from her, guards surrounding me, making sure I didn't do anything…unnecessary, as Sophie would put it. For the first time in a long time, I was genuinely worried about her. The answer she would give was so predictable; I was just fretting about the deeds she would have to carry out under the name of HYDRA. I wanted to go to her, she was hurt and I could tell she was scared as well. I frantically wracked my brain for anything I could use to try to come to her aid, but to no avail. The result of all this was inevitable.

_Tony_

The instant the scientist landed in a heap in the control room, I shut my eyes in despair. The end result was simply unavoidable as of now. Her humour lightened the mood ever so slightly, but it was no use. We couldn't prevent the events that happened as of now. We could only hope that not too many people got hurt in the process. HYDRA had embedded itself to deep into S.H.I.E.L.D, we couldn't decipher who was who anymore. When the man had presented the offer to Sophie, it was clear what she'd choose. But what I didn't expect was who would turn up to aid HYDRA. Now that just made me even more hacked off.

_Sophie_

Helplessly, I looked at those in the room not of HYDRA. Stark, Bruce, Thor…Loki. There was nothing I could do that would stop HYDRA and save them. I was too late. "Done. On the condition they're released first, and Ella's…condition removed." The strange man smiled at my first word, and chuckled at my last. A series of sorrowful looks were displayed on the other's faces, but I tried not to focus on that, a single tear escaping and sliding down my cheek. "I don't think so. I've learnt from experience that's not a good idea." Out of the blue, a face I really didn't expect to see walked in from behind the strange man, carrying a syringe filled with a scarlet liquid. A glimmer of hope sparked in my heart, maybe she could help us. Doctor Harris! But my heart sunk just as quickly as my hope had sparked. "Miss Harris, if you would please." The man said to her, nonchalantly. Without a second glance, she silently walked up to me, pushing my sleeve up my arm and holding the syringe against me. "…I…I don't understand…" She didn't respond, just gave me a brief, sorrowful look before pushing the needle in. A short-lived moment of tranquillity passed before the pain finally hit. It was worse than anything I'd ever experienced before. Worse than any psychological or physical agony anyone could even comprehend. I let out a frantic shriek as my knees buckled. But the most excruciating part of the transformation was in my head. It was as if someone was pulling out my consciousness, my mind, and replaced it with something else, something completely alien to me. I began to forget various memories of the last week or so…faces became unrecognisable. Thor, Stark…Loki. Places, people, thoughts, feelings, all faded away as if they were never there. A fragment, a ghost, of what once was. It was all so confusing! Eventually though, things began to become clearer. I was to do…something. The word 'HYDRA' kept popping up in my head…what was that again? Oh yes! My…workplace? Everything was all muddled up. I wasn't certain of what was real and what wasn't. A considerable amount of time past before the pain subsided and I felt myself standing…not of my own accord, however. The people about me stepped away, but I fixed my gaze on a part of the floor by me, gathering the thoughts that weren't mine. Someone reached out to me, but my arm snapped up grabbing their wrist before they could touch me, the familiar blue tinge lighting my skin. "Welcome back." He said.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The man smiled triumphantly but I didn't know why. I looked around at the people in the room, I recognised and acknowledged my fellow HYDRA soldiers, but the other people hunched up in various places in the room were unrecognisable to me. I noticed one man standing behind me, dressed in Green and Gold armour with a strange helmet with horns. _What a strange man._ I inwardly laughed at myself. Who was he supposed to be? I didn't know, I didn't care. I turned back to my boss, with a realisation that I still had a hold on his arm. Slightly ashamed, I dropped it, muttering an apology. "…where are we?" I enquired, unfamiliar with my surroundings.

"On the heli-carrier of S.H.I.E.L.D." He replied. He was studying me intently, as if waiting for me to do something. "I'm sorry, was there something I needed to be doing, sir?" I asked, trying to decipher what he was thinking. Someone gasped. I looked around, searching for the one who did it. My gaze landed on a man a few feet away from me. He was lying on the floor handcuffed, wearing a black t-shirt with 'Stark Industries' written on him. I looked at him, frowning in confusion at why he gasped before returning to my boss. "Sir?"

"Um..yes, sorry. Just making sure you were…alright…" Strange. That was a rare comment from him. Anyway… "Sophie, would you mind taking this for a moment?" He passed me a hand-gun, not exactly the best choice of weapon, but still effective all the same. The man turned to the other people in the room and addressed them, acting superior. "Well, I believe we shall be taking our leave now. DREADFULLY sorry about all the damage and destruction caused, but I'm sure you'll get over it. Thank you so much for being so compliant, your support is greatly appreciated it!" I sensed motion behind me, and it appeared that sir did too. We spun around to find that man with the horn helmet had silently immobilized the soldiers guarding him, and was making a menacing move towards us. "Sophie!" I heard my boss yell. Without hesitation, I armed the gun and aimed it at the man's head. He halted, seemingly taken back by my move. I don't know why, in my opinion this was a perfectly acceptable reaction when someone's coming towards you like that. "Sophie? Heh…you can't be serious!" He asked, baffled. I didn't say anything back. Funnily enough, I didn't exactly want to have a friendly conversation with the man that's attacking me…however, right at the back of my mind, deep, deep, down…I had that feeling of 'What am I doing? Why am I attacking him?!', but with my boss behind me, calling the shots, I ignored that little tinge of guilt. "One more step and she blows your head off." My boss threatened. The man was still addressing me as he almost pleaded.

"You wouldn't." My gun wobbled ever so slightly, but still I remained silent. That little tinge of guilt had grown continuously, to the point where I almost doubted what I was doing. "Do you really want to take that risk?" My boss hissed defiantly. Discreetly, with his words, my boss had informed me of new orders. One more step, fire. The strangely dressed man took another step forward, and almost whispered, looking straight into my eyes. "Sophie…don't." I paused, finger hovering just over the trigger. One tiny movement and I could do it. One tiny little movement, but still I didn't. I couldn't…and I didn't know why. Maybe, Boss will be reasonable and let him go, but if I receive direct orders I have no choice. "Sophie!" Boss reprimanded, horrified that I'd even hesitated. Too late. I pulled the trigger.

_Loki_

I honestly didn't think she would do it. I thought…I hoped, that she would remember us, come back. Turn around against him because this whole HYDRA act was just a cleverly concealed bluff. That she would come back to me and say that everything would be alright. But no, because once again someone I had come to…care deeply about, was being taken away from just under my nose. And, like the many times before, there was nothing I could do to stop it. Anger was replaced by utter despair as she turned against me. Betrayal, another emotion I had grown accustomed to, but that still didn't make it a pleasant feeling. Tears scolded my eyes, but I bit them back. Now was not the time from unnecessary signs of emotion. But then, as if matters couldn't get any worse, she fired. I didn't know what felt more heart-breaking: The fact that she turned against me, or the fact that I was hurt when she did.

A loud…click sounded, as the gun fired…with no bullet. I tried again, repeatedly pulling the trigger, but nothing happened, and I looked kinda stupid. Once I'd finally accepted there was nothing in the gun I backed down slightly. I was about to get into a fighting stance when Boss interrupted me. "Ah!" He laughed, sarcastically clapping his hands as he walked between me and strange helmet man. "You all thought she was going to hurt him!" He jeered pointing at all the faces in the room. "No. I'm not that mean." He took the gun from me, opening it, displaying the lack of bullets. A few sighs of relief could be heard after the showing of the gun. "As you can see, no bullets! I thought it would be better if we let you all live so you could watch helplessly as HYDRA, with the new addition of your lead scientist and your…" He eyed the man with the helmet and raised his eyebrows questioningly before turning back around. "…lead scientist, destroy everything you have worked so hard to protect! Ok?! Have a nice day!" The man with the helmet looked, shocked and…hurt? What could he be hurt about? It was like I'd betrayed him or something! Weird… I scanned the room at those about me. The people beaten looked…familiar. They looked strong, I was certain of that, so why weren't they fighting back? I didn't understand. There were so many things around me that made absolutely no sense. For example, why do I have the feeling that I've just woken up from a dream? Why are these people looking at me like I knew them personally? Why do I get the feeling that I'm missing out on something, like I've…forgotten something? Something important… Gradually we filed out of the control room, but I was last to leave. I gave those left an apologetic look. I didn't know why I did it; I just had a gut feeling that I…should. The man with the helmet I turned to last as I left. It almost felt as if there was, or should've been, something…between us? It was a silly notion I knew but it still felt…I don't know. He looked as if he was a mixture between anger and hurt, but he couldn't decide which emotion he should let come to the forefront. With one last, sorrowful, glance I followed my boss out. Down towards a jet we went, with nobody about to stop us. As we boarded and the engines roared into life, I couldn't help but have a deep feeling of, 'This is all wrong, I don't know why, and there's nothing I can do.'

_This is the beginning of the end…_


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Naturally, as soon as HYDRA had left, the Avengers were up, desperately trying to search for the stolen S.H.I.E.L.D jet and frantically trying to decipher what their plan was…but it was all in vain. They had no leads, no agents and no Sophie. "Where's Fury in all this, exactly?" Banner remarked, tending to a shot wound on Thor's shoulder. "This is hardly an incident he would just lie down and accept, is it?" Stark was with Loki on the other side of the control room, focusing on various computer screens trying to find some sort of lead or link. "Well, I don't know! I'm not his personal manager!" He fumed, tearing his gaze away from the monitors. "Where are Romanoff and Barton? Where's Maria Hill? Where's everyone?! I. Don't. Know!"

"Tony! Calm down! I know this situation is stressful for you, but just be patient. Something will arise eventually." Thor tried to reassure him, wincing through the pain of his shoulder. Talk of the devil, Fury hobbled through the door. They could tell he was in agony, and snapped up as soon as he walked in. Stark was first to react, naturally, butting in front of everyone else. "WHERE HAVE YOU-"

"Romanoff and Barton woke up. They know everything. Where they've gone, what they'll do to Sophie, the 'big' plan. Sorry I'm late people, I got a bit…caught up." That shut everyone up, even Tony. "Where are they?" Loki demanded. He'd perked up at the mention of the two agents knowing what's going to happen to Sophie. "Down in the cargo hold on one of the jets. We gotta move quickly, they're not in very good shape." That was all the encouragement the little group needed. In an instant they were out the door, chasing the promise of any sort of information.

_Loki_

I was first out of the door when the man with the eye patch announced those 'agents' knowing something about where Sophie could be headed. I still hadn't managed to work out that feeling of betrayal as we moved out. You would think I would be used to it by now, but it appeared that it seemed to just hurt more each time it happens. I was forced to wait for the others as it dawned on me I didn't actually know where I was going, but we moved on swiftly enough.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the 'cargo bay' to find the two agents bent over chairs in the corner of the room. I hadn't seen them since the dance, and they really didn't look to be in good shape. I was hesitant to approach at first, not wanting to seem too…caring, because caring was certainly not in my nature. _Well, _I thought to myself, _not caring towards most people._ The doctor was first over to them, checking them over for wounds, to which he could only find a few cuts. "What do you know?" I asked after a while, getting straight to the point. They exchanged nervous glances before turning back to answer. "Are you sure you really want to know? It's not pleasant." I hesitated…then nodded. There was no messing about with the details, the agents got straight to the point. The girl with the red hair was the first to speak. "When we were at the dance, we got…er…a…drugged, and dragged off into a back room of some sort. There was some guy there—"

"He was the guy we clocked earlier as some sort of 'leader.' He was always on the coms, talking to everyone, and there was a lot of hustle and bustle with the organisation and the staff, who we then clocked as HYDRA as well." The other man butted in. The human they were discussing must've been the one who caught us. "Right! And?" I urged, hasty to move on with their story. The others around were listening just as intently as I was, but were saying nothing, probably lost up in their own conclusions. "It was pretty obvious he thought we weren't getting out of there alive, so they started spilling everything. Starting with…" She paused, and it was clear that she found the information given distressing. "Starting with what they did to Sophie. They told us that like you said, they'd altered her skeletal structure, but also fused her DNA with the Tesseract Energy research…stuff."

"Wait what?" Stark butted in, confused. "They fused her DNA with the Tesseract Energy? They _altered her genetics? _That's impossible!"

"That's what we thought…then they showed us the proof. The DNA samples, the Blood Tests, everything."

"But why would they show that? Even if they were certain you wouldn't get out, it would be stupid to even release information like that." I interrupted, also puzzled.

"That's not the point! They've _changed her genetics_! They've utterly changed and messed with her biological data! If her genetics were fused with the Tesseract that means the energy is all over her. There won't be a way to remove it without killing her, meaning there won't be a way—" He halted as the realisation hit him like a ton of bricks. "-to get her back like she was…without HYDRA wiping her memory again, and her having to start all over again." The girl finished for him. Nobody said a word as the task at hand became evident. It was very possible that there would be no way to get her back, to get the girl I'd come to…I couldn't deny it anymore…the girl I'd come to cherish, back ever again. Now that really stung. "Trust me…that's not even the worst part." The man broke the silence with yet another bombshell. "They have an army of people with a slightly weaker, but more producible version of what they've done to Sophie, all able to be controlled by this guy…and they plan to take New York. They have the Chitauri tech as well! Guys, we're in for a round 2, I hope you realise that now. There's no reasoning with this guy, the civilians have to be our priority now!" There was a moment of silence before the Captain finally spoke up. "I think…our task now is evident…so, er, let's suit up guys. We have to worry about the details of all this later, we have an army to contend with." I shook my head. "_Unbelievable." _I walked off then, not wanting to hear anymore. There was a battle to be fought, and I assumed they would be expecting me to take part. _Well, at least I had a way to vent my anger now._ I thought to myself with a smirk as I went to retrieve my weapon. _Bring it on._

_Sophie_

The next few hours after we landed back in New York went by as if they were nothing. We arrived back in the HYDRA building and Boss led me back to his office, ordering the other soldiers to go and get prepared for…something. I wasn't sure what, but it didn't sound particularly good. As I strolled along behind him, we walked along a corridor to find one of the windows smashed, with fragments littering the window sill. "What happened here?" I asked quietly, picking up one of the smashed shards. "Oh…um…someone…er…jumped out." An image flashed in my mind, one of a…man…? He was injured, on the pavement. The memory looked as if I was standing where I was now, looking down on him. It was the man…the man from the heli-carrier? With the strange helmet…why would I have memories of him? "Sophie." Boss broke me out from my over obsessive thinking. "Come on, we have matters to discuss." Obediently, I put down the glass and followed him into the office, the image of that man haunting my vision. "I need your assistance with our…project."

"What project, sir?" I asked my voice monotone and respectful.

"We're…borrowing New York for a while." He responded curtly, looking out of the back window, his chin resting on his hand. "The government don't believe our soldiers and our organization have the power to physically take over a place without the help of legal military forces. Today we prove them wrong." He finished, finally turning back to face me. "No doubt the little band of S.H.I.E.L.D misfits will try and stop us, but…" His lips curved up in a smile, as he gestured to me. "That's why we have you, little miss!" In an instant he had come round the side of the desk and was patting me on the back, leading me towards the window. We looked out upon the view of New York as he grinned like a proud father. "You are the only one, besides me of course, blessed with the gift of the Tesseract and can stop these guys! Now don't you feel special?! While the rest of the soldiers are busy with New York, you can single-handedly take on the so-called 'Avengers.'" I rolled my eyes, unimpressed. It was just another assignment, so he didn't need to big it up like this. "Joy." I muttered. But deep down, I had another twinge of guilt, like I was…betraying someone I knew, and I couldn't shake it. I swear this was all getting weirder and weirder. Missing memories, fragments, images, and that feeling like I'd just woken up from a dream or sleep. It just didn't make sense.

The Boss told me that I should take a look at the new gear that we would be using so I steadily meandered my way down after our little conversation. I passed several other soldiers who all nodded curtly out of respect, a notion I was wholly unaccustomed to, to which I responded with another nod. Strangely, it appeared that I ended up in the prison facilities rather than the weapons department. _Must've taken a wrong turn somewhere…_ I told myself. Deciding not to make myself look foolish, I continued my walk through the facilities as if I meant to go here, and I was just passing through. The various prison cells caught my attention and I couldn't help but look as I walked past. There was one where a girl was sitting behind a table, glaring out towards the glass as if her mere expression could melt it. She looked rather foreboding even for my standards. Weirdly, her face softened into one of utter relief and shock when I came into view. "Sophie!" My name was a startled cry as she called it, hurrying up to the glass. She was slightly taller than me with blonde hair which had been mangled and ruffled during her time in the cell. Like the other HYDRA soldiers, she had the familiar red glow about her, which made me wonder why she was being kept in a cell. She was also wearing a HYDRA uniform, minus the weapons, which just added to my suspicions. I halted, slowly walking up to the glass to face her. "…how do you know my name?" Her expression faltered ever so slightly, as if I'd hurt her. What was it with people at the moment? Everything I said seemed to hurt someone! "Sophie…er…it doesn't matter. Just…you have to listen to me."

"Why? You're in a cell, probably for a very good reason. I have no business listening to you." I returned, coldly. But once again, I had that deep down feeling that I…should listen to her. "Sophie! Please! I know just…two minutes of your time! That's all it will take!" She begged, her face sad yet hopeful. I glanced at the name tag; 'Ella' was all it said, yet that seemed to ring a bell. Strange. I sighed, conceding to her. What harm could it do, listening to a prisoner rambling on for two minutes? "Go on. 2 minutes." I commanded. She didn't hesitate, just launched straight in.

"The big boss man, wants to take over New York, right?" I didn't respond, just let her continue. "Right, well he won't, he can't get very far. Not with you around. You are not one of them, not one of those HYDRA brutes and you will remember sooner or later. Look, I know you probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but please! You have to believe me! When you remember, and you'll know what I mean and when the time comes, you have to read this!" She shoved a piece of scrap paper up against the glass, pleading me to take it. I knew I shouldn't, my head was telling me not to, my heart completely disagreeing. I weighed up the pros and cons of the whole scenario, and was caught off by her desperate expression. "Fine." I submitted, motioning for a guard to unlock the door. He was puzzled at first, eyeing me with a look of puzzlement as he unlocked the door. Surprisingly, she thrust the paper in my hand, but didn't make any attempt to escape, just walked back to the table where she was sitting before. "Don't read it, until you remember." She said. I still didn't know what she meant. The soldier was also caught off guard as 'Ella' made no move to escape when the door was unlocked, but he just shrugged and returned to his station. "Don't read it, until you remember." She repeated sternly, reclining in the chair with a sigh. Looking between her and the letter, frowning, I muttered a response. "I heard you the first time." Reluctantly, I continued my journey to the weapons department, looking down at the small piece of paper. I should've read it there and then. Read the irrelevant piece of paper and binned it but…something, told me not to, that I should trust this girl, listen to her. My hand hovered over the folded piece, wavering only ever so slightly. "Ma'am? Are you alright?" A HYDRA soldier tapped my arm, bringing me out of my trail of thoughts. "Yes, thank you." I responded, curtly. He seemed satisfied with my response, and continued his walk. I took another look at the piece of paper…and tucked it in my pocket, without looking.

The weapons department was very impressive. Everywhere I looked Chitauri bikes lined the floor, I estimated the amount to be well in the hundreds, meaning there was one for each HYDRA soldier during the invasion.. There was a wide array of weapons recognisable from the 'Great and Revolutionary Battle of New York' as the Boss described it. As I walked along, the soldiers moved out of my way, nodding curtly. I began to ignore it after a while; nodding back to every single soldier who passed me was starting to really ache. I didn't recognise any of the faces that passed me, which unnerved me slightly. I could've sworn I knew some of these people…which was strange. How can you just…forget, someone? A short, slim woman bumped into me as she walked past, studying a clipboard. She snapped up, barking at me rudely before stopping to see who she'd bumped into. "Watch where you're go—" She looked at me and halted, a lump caught in her throat. "Sophie! I'm sorry! Are…are you alright?"

"Yeah…? Thanks. Um…who are you, again?" I asked carefully. I thought I recognised her from somewhere…but I just couldn't place her face. I could see her expression falter ever so slightly at my question, but she answered all the same. Again, what was it with people and always looking so hurt? "Doctor Harris! I engineer the serums in all the HYDRA soldiers." She said, hugging the clipboard to her chest. It seemed as if she didn't want me to see it…weird. "Oh. Er…you're doing a fantastic job." I gave her a small smile and a nod, not really sure what else to say. I still couldn't place where I'd seen her before…and it was really bugging me now. Realising I wasn't going to say anything else; she nodded and continued her walk. I bit my lip in deep contemplation as I also began to walk on again, inspecting the various array of weapons. A group of soldiers walked past me, heading towards what looked like a training room. One of them halted, pausing to stop and talk to me. "Ma'am, would you care to join us for some training exercises before the battle? There is a specialist here who will try to help us understand our powers better, I was wondering if you'd want to join us?" He seemed like a friendly, young man. It seemed a shame to send him into the ferocious world of battle. "Sure! Lead the way!" I said with a smile, following them into the training room.

_Riley  
_

My hands slid into my pockets as I anxiously watched the countdown to the battle. There were only 38 minutes left until we were scheduled to begin, 38 painfully slow, dragging minutes left. I turned back towards the window, running a hand through my hair. The window was large and pristine, to go along with the HYDRA office. I had to admit, I was rather fond of it…proud if you will. I could only hope that the so called 'Avengers' wouldn't cause _too_ much disruption, but others would say I needed to be focusing on what was happening within my own organisation rather than what third parties may achieve. They meant I should be focusing on what was happening to my fellow Tesseract user, Sophie. It was a risk bringing her here, but one that if turned out correctly, could be of great gain to HYDRA as a whole. Because S.H.I.E.L.D had destroyed what was left of the Tesseract project, we had to start again using the left over energy from the Chitauri technology, which we found was much easier to mass produce. However, the serum we managed to develop which allowed total control over the soldiers wouldn't necessarily be compatible with the previous Tesseract developments. i.e. what Sophie had running through her veins. They'd warned me that if it didn't work the results could be catastrophic. It'd been working alright so far however, so I wasn't really concerned. I'd come too far with all this for it to not work. Yes, I'd had to lie and cheat just a little to get where I was today, but that's of no consequence. For example, the little lie about me taking over the business from my father, which I'd announced at the dance we caught Sophie at, wasn't exactly true. I'd taken over…well, stolen, the research and development from the military years ago…My father worked for the military, so I guess the lie I'd told was…partially true. But the point is, I'd taken that R&D much further than any government could even _dream_ of taking. A knock sounded at the door, bringing me out of my thinking. "Enter." I barked, not really in the mood to speak to anyone right now. "Sir, I have the results." Doctor Harris said, cautiously. I turned around and took a seat at my desk, gesturing for her to sit down. She politely obeyed, handing me the clipboard she was holding. "What is this supposed to mean, exactly?"

"Well, the results show that—"

"In your own words." I interrupted. The science diagnostics just annoy me, and don't often make sense. "Um…we've figured out that although Sophie's serum is mostly stable, but there's a slight chance that the current Tesseract Energy will overpower the Chitauri Tech, completely erasing all the work since the Heli-Carrier." I put down the clipboard, disregarding it.

"What do you mean the 'Tesseract Energy will overpower the Chitauri Tech'?" I asked, frowning.

"The Tesseract Energy has its own defence system, with its own equivalent of antibodies, etc. So as we hard-wired it into Sophie's genetics that defence system has been transferred into her body. When we put in the Chitauri serum, there was always going to be a chance that the Tesseract defensive mechanisms completely dissipate it. But that completely depends on how powerful the Tesseract Energy within her has become. Theoretically, if she's still got the same amount of energy within her as we put in to start with, we should be alright. However if she's had any contact with another Tesseract object and she's absorbed that energy in some way or another, then we're screwed basically." She finished with a resigned shrug.

"It's highly unlikely that she's been in close object with another Tesseract object since we had her, so I don't think we need to worry." I tried to reassure her. By the look on her face, she didn't seem convinced. "Don't. Worry." With a reluctant nod she took back the clipboard, beginning to stand. "Is there anything else you need, sir?" She asked with a sigh.

"No. Just get ready, thank you." We exited the office together, 23 minutes left on the clock. "Time to face the music." I muttered, buttoning up my coat and heading for the rooftop.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

_Ella_

There was a big kafuffle not long after Sophie left. It seemed as if they were getting ready for the 'big event's I rolled my eyes at the thought. They won't win, there's absolutely no way they could succeed. With Sophie the way she is, this whole operation is like a ticking time bomb. It's only a matter of the right influences and this whole thing goes up in flames. Sitting in the cell, you'd be surprised about how much information you actually manage to pick up. Scientists and soldiers were frequently passing through talking about all sorts of topics that you would not believe! Occasionally, the odd comment would slip, and after a while I had collected a whole portfolio of information. From that, I'd managed to devise a plan…a risky one, yes, but if it works it will be a fantastic result. The piece of paper would just be a gentle push in the right direction when she does, and she will, remember. I am certain that her memory will return, because from what I heard, there's no logical explanation as to why she wouldn't, it was just a matter of when. If I'd played my cards right, and estimated when she'll remember correctly, she will remember at the right time, at the right place, and my 'genius plan' will run just like clockwork. If not, well…goodbye world! Out of nowhere, the woman I recognised as Doctor Harris appeared at the glass. I pretended to be under the thumb, acting just like one of the other nitwit HYDRA soldiers. "Ma'am. How can I help you?" Her lips curved up in a smile. "Will you help us?"

"Of course ma'am, that is what I was created for, was it not?"

"Excellent." She beamed, hugging the clipboard she was carrying to her chest. The guard was then gestured over, and the cell door opened. I stood to attention, only exiting when I was invited to. She led me down the corridor and into what looked like the weapons department. I struggled to cover up a gasp as the sheer scale of the arsenal HYDRA had at their disposal, hit me. It was terrifying to say the least. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Sophie being led up the stairs across the other side of the room. I clenched my jaw in anger that she was being towed along like a lost puppy. "Ella, was it?" Doctor Harris asked.

"Yes, ma'am." I responded curtly.

"We would like you to participate in blah, blah, blah. Look, I'm not going to bull shiz you with the whole grand speech we've been encouraged to tell to new recruits, this is war. You will be assigned to one of the Chitauri bikes, and you'll just have to hope and pray you don't get shot." That was unexpected. "Right, um, so what do I need to _do, _exactly?"

"Shoot the people shooting at you dear, it's quite simple." She said, rather patronizingly in my opinion, patting my shoulder. "Oh. Um…thanks." I muttered, not sure what to say. I stood by the new bike as a senior soldier came round showing us the basics. After thanking him, I settled into the drivers' seat, silently pleased with myself. _I'd managed to infiltrate the enemy organisation, without even trying._

_Sophie_

We'd only had 15 minutes of training before the Boss came and told us it was time to leave. The training session had just taught us how to use our strength alongside the powers we had, nothing much more than I'd already learnt, but for the other soldiers it was new. They were so optimistic; having such a good time…it made me feel so sad for them, about to be thrust into battle. The soldiers gathered in the weapons room, some on Chitauri bikes, some with weapons, a small group of them were assigned to a jet. I, on the other hand, was lead up to the rooftop alongside the boss, where we awaited the inevitable. Chaos. It started off just a trickle of soldiers, but then gradually spilled into an all-out war. There were screams of panic, and the sound of endless gunshot. It was…horrifying. I tried to look calm and collected as we looked at the scene below…but it was hard. It was bothering the boss too, I could tell it in his eyes. He was frantically pacing back and forth, focusing on the battle, and then tearing his gaze away again. That was when the S.H.I.E.L.D jet arrived. I could tell it belonged to the other organisation a mile off. _Wait…how on earth can I recognise a S.H.I.E.L.D jet like that? _I started getting images again, flashes, of what looked like…the heli-carrier? But I wasn't certain…a row of jets, a man in…a suit? With…stars and stripes…? "Argh!" I yelled, as a splitting pain started in my skull. I stumbled forwards, grasping the railing. _What's happening?!_

_Loki_

The 'Avengers' suited up in more or less the same uniforms they wore when I battled them, just more updated. The one known as 'Captain America' looked less ridiculous with a more refined suit, the metal man had a more technical armour, but in all honesty I really didn't care. We solemnly boarded the only remaining S.H.I.E.L.D jet with the red-haired woman as the pilot. I stood towards the back, lost in my own thoughts. I didn't want to hurt Sophie, even if she had lost all memory of me. It would just feel…wrong. "Brother." Thor brought me out of my fretting, placing a hand on my shoulder. "What." I snapped quietly, not wanting to draw attention.

"I'm sorry, brother, for what happened." He murmured, softly.

"I do not want your pity." I retorted, jolting out of his grasp. "I want whoever set this up, gone…dead would be preferable." As you could tell, I wasn't exactly in the most sympathetic of moods.

"You don't mean that." Thor tried to reason with a slight, light-hearted smile.

"Don't I? Give me one reason not to." My brother opened his mouth, trying to think of a reason to object, but ended up finding none. "Exactly." I finished.

"Guys, you might wanna take a look at this!" The red-haired woman yelled over her shoulder, causing us to all rush to crowd around the front windows. The scene below us was chaos. Soldiers fighting, and winning hilariously, against police officers and a few military officers that had beaten us there. Cars were smashed and burning, shop windows shattered and people were running, screaming. "We're too late." The Captain muttered.

"No. We're too late to stop it from starting, but we're never too late to finish it." The metal man stated, pressing a button to lower the back of the jet. In an instant he was gone, flying out down to New York below. Thor was next out, Captain America shortly after, leaving me, and the two S.H.I.E.L.D Agents. I glanced out of the front window again, and a breath caught in my throat. She was standing on top of one of the buildings, overlooking the city below, as if she hadn't a care in the world. It sickened me to see who she was standing beside. The disgusting, twisted man who'd tainted her and turned her against those close to her. My fist tightened on the sceptre and my jaw clenched in fury. "Land. Now." I ordered. The red-head didn't hesitate, parking the jet a few streets down from where the fight was taking place. We hurried out, eager to get to the fight; the Chitauri artillery that I once controlled were zipping around above us, with breath taking agility. "This is not good." The man with the stars and stripes blatantly pointed out.

"You don't say." I almost growled, stalking past him towards the heat of the battle. The focus of the fight was mainly in the area I'd come to learn as 'Times Square'. The Sceptre was swinging carelessly at my side when I finally got noticed by a soldier. He spun around, running at me with brute force. Rolling my eyes with a sigh, I swung the weapon so it hit him square around the face. He flew backwards, knocking over a car in the process, and I assumed he was rendered unconscious…or dead. I carelessly continued walking on, when the car which was just crushed by the flying human, slowly began tilting back upright before suddenly launching towards me. I just managed to dive out of the way as it smashed into one of the buildings. Behind it, was the soldier I'd just swung at with a nasty, bloody face from where I'd hit him. I watched in awe as he stood, his face miraculously healing over as he began to walk towards me. "That's new." I commented, raising my eyebrows.

_Sophie_

I massaged my temple with my fingertips, hoping in vain it would help in any way. The pain was getting worse, as more and more flashes, images came to the forefront. Old and new, what I thought were, memories were mixing together and fragments, just little, tiny memories gradually started to make sense. _How is this even happening?_ I internally screamed at myself. I couldn't help but chuckle to myself as I thought back to the Heli-Carrier. _At least it doesn't hurt as much as when Loki smashed my head against the lab wall! Now that really smarted…hold on. _I snapped up again, gasping and blinking rapidly. _When did that happen?! I don't remember that happening! Or…or do I? No…Yes! No…maybe?! Sort of…_ I turned away from the edge with a startled cry. It was like something was trying to claw its way out of my skull! My knees buckled underneath me and I had to grab my head in panic. My head was spinning and my vision started to go cloudy at the edges. "Just make it stop! JUST MAKE IT STOP!" I sobbed into my chest. The pain was just become unbearable, as tears began to stream down my face.

_Riley_

_No! No, no, no, no, no! How is this possible? We had it! We had everything in perfect, PERFECT, running order! Why! Why did this have to go wrong now?_ I grabbed the com from inside my pocket and dialled Miss Harris as I watched on helplessly as Sophie was having an internal war with herself. It wasn't long after I'd almost yelled at her down the line, that Miss Harris was up here. She had arrived in a matter of minutes, all the while Sophie had now moved onto all fours to try and cope with the pain. I couldn't tell what side was winning, the Tesseract Energy or the Chitauri Serum. "_What is happening?!" _I hissed at her, careful not to let Sophie hear. "What went wrong? We had everything in PERFECT running order! How is this possible?"

"Don't blame me for it!" She defended, startled. "I told you that there was a chance the Tesseract Energy would overpower the Chitauri Serum, and it was YOU who still decided to go through with this!" Regrettably, she had a point.

"Well…well…is there ANY chance that the Chitauri Serum will conquer the Tesseract?" I implored her to try and think of any solution. "Maybe…I don't know! You'll have to wait and see!" I paused, looking her straight in the eye. She was lying. I could see it on her face. My hand shot up, grabbing her around the throat. "You're lying. Do NOT lie to me."

"It's…not…my…problem." She choked out with a manic grin, which was pretty hard considering I had her by the throat. "What do you mean, 'it's not your problem'? Of course it's your problem! What do you think I hired you fo-!" I halted as it dawned on me, my blood beginning to boil.

"You knew this would happen didn't you?! You knew the Tesseract would react this way!" I growled through gritted teeth. She managed a shrug, and barely managed to squeak out her next words as she grew very red in the face. "What…can I…say?" I clenched my jaw, now angered enough to be prepared to do something I'd probably regret. Probably. I felt a hand on my forearm, tugging me ever so slightly. "Sir? Is there a problem here?" I turned to see Sophie standing there, calm and courteous as if nothing had ever happened. Instinctively, my hand dropped from Miss Harris' throat, and she stumbled backwards gasping for breath and rubbing her neck. "Everything's…" I looked Sophie in the eyes, checking and double checking there was nothing out of the ordinary. "Fine. The question is, are you alright? You seemed to be in a bit of bother earlier." She still didn't react, ust like normal. "I am perfectly well, thank you sir." Smirking, I turned round to look at Miss Harris, who was staring at Sophie, rather confused. "It appears you were wrong about the Tesseract, Miss Harris." I remarked, she opened and closed her mouth like a goldfish, searching for what to say. However, as she was staring at Sophie, her expression softened into one of relief as if something was going on behind my back. I whipped back around to see Sophie standing to attention as usual. Strange. Cautiously, I asked her, "Was there something you needed?"

"Actually, yes sir, there was." She replied with a slight smile. "I would like to join in the fight sir, if that would be alright. I feel rather…useless, just standing here. I would like to make a difference, if that's ok?" I frowned slightly, now triple checking there was nothing wrong with this girl. Suspiciously, I righted myself, before responding. "…of course. Be my guest." I said, gesturing to the edge of the rooftop. "Thank you, sir." She nodded curtly, and turned on her heel heading straight for the edge. Overlooking the scene bellow, she pulled out a little piece of paper from her pocket. Reading it, whatever 'it' was, she smiled. Whatever was written on that paper clearly amused her. Returning it to her pocket, she looked to her left across the city and jumped. Blinking in amazement, I was stunned into stillness momentarily. I knew she'd be fine it was just…I was rather startled to see her just…jump off. Regaining my senses, I twisted back around to face the doctor again, to find she was standing by the door into the building, waving a door key in front of her. "You want to know why I didn't tell you about the Tesseract? It was because you're a psychopath, and I didn't sign up for this shit." She indicated the battle raging in the centre of the city. I didn't have a chance to retaliate because she slammed the door on me, and I could faintly hear the sound of a lock turning.

_Loki_

Fighting the HYDRA soldiers wasn't _that _hard in all fairness. Yes, they were slightly more challenging than the humans I'd encountered previously, but beatable nonetheless. There were many close encounters with them where they almost managed to deal a blow, but I hadn't even been grazed thus far. Frequently, I found my gaze trailing upwards to track the whereabouts of Sophie, until I looked up one time to see her…jump off! I was so alarmed, I completely lost focus and one of the soldiers managed to deal a blow straight to my face. Angered, I shoved the sceptre into his chest and twisted, watching as his face turned pain stricken. I carelessly shoved him off me, pushing my way through the endless mass of bodies to get a better view of what was happening up above. Sophie had jumped off the rooftop, landing delicately on one of the Chitauri bikes. "What are you doing?" I muttered to no one in particular. At this moment, I couldn't tell whose side she was on I just hoped to the Gods she knew what she was doing…because I certainly didn't. The bike zoomed over our heads, quickly grabbing the attention of other HYDRA soldiers, who then began to follow her. I could tell the Avengers were also unsure how to react to her move, as they just subtly distracted themselves so they could have the excuse of 'not noticing. I could blatantly see they were just as bothered as I was. All I knew for definite was that this would all become clear soon, but I doubted it was going to be pretty.


End file.
